Ocarina of Time Chapter 22

 Chapter 22

The Flow of Time...

Instinct saved Link, and from the moment that Navi shouted a warning, he was moving, turning so that the dart struck his shield.

Link only just noticed another Skull Kid by the temple's entrance before they too fired their blowgun. The dart struck his tunic, catching in his chain mail.

Link quickly brushed the dart aside.

"Lower your weapons. We mean no harm," Sheik shouted from beside Link. Much to the surprise of everyone except Rin, Sheik spoke in fluent Kokiri.

There was no time for Link to ponder this oddity. The Skull Kid who'd attacked him lowered their blowgun, his eyes widening briefly in shock before he regained his cautious composure. The short, strangely clad boy approached the dais, eyes still wary. The sound of hushed voices quickly drew Link's attention to the other Skull Kids in the small meadow. There were eight in total, all with weapons in hand.

"Link, are you alright?" Sheik asked him, not taking her eyes off the skull kids.

"I'm fine." Link replied. "How's Forenz?"

"As well as can be expected."

Despite Sheik's grim tone, Link felt a sliver of relief. Certain he wasn't about to be attacked again, he relaxed his shoulders and quickly took in the scene around him. The ancient stone walls of the Sacred Forest Meadow stood before him, thick vines twisting along their length, obscuring most of the faded stone.

That was when Link first noticed how quiet everything seemed. Now that the other Skull Kids had stopped talking, and he was no longer in danger of being attacked, for now at least, the silence startled him. There was an unnatural stillness in the air, and it felt wrong. Oppressive. The forest was lifeless... the gentle hum of life that once permeated its ancient bowers smothered by a foul magic that Link could feel within the air, a sense that made goose crawl across his skin. It reminded him of the ash-laden ruins of Castletown. The hush of death. The telltale reek of decay. All of it now familiar to him.

The odorous stench was that of rotting wood and bloated animal carcasses, both of which added to Link's growing unease. It was as though the woods had been corrupted by the curse that now held it in its grip.

Trying not to focus on how wrong the forest felt, Link turned his attention to the forest dweller in front of him. The boy and his companions weren't alone. Five more skull kids now stood beneath the archway that marked the Forest Temple's Entrance, evidently attracted by the noisy entrance Link's party had just made. One of the Skull Kid's was holding a blowgun. The others gripped bows, all notched and ready to draw at a moment's notice. When Link saw what was behind them, he sucked in a breath.

Six eight-foot-tall creatures that resembled a grotesque fusion of goat, boar, and man lay on the ground, a foul stench emanating from their corpses.

They look like Bulblins, Link thought, glad the creatures were dead. How had the small Skull Kids even managed to kill them? Luck?

Sheik's voice broke through his wandering thoughts.

"I would have expected a warmer welcome from you, Vaspin," she said, addressing the Skull Kid closest to Link. The boy was giving Link an odd look, as if not sure what to make of him, but Sheik's words caught his attention.

"I believe you have met Link, Vaspin," Sheik said, gesturing towards Link.

Link hid his surprise as Sheik and Vaspin met his eyes. How in Hyrule did Sheik know Vaspin?

"You told me about a boy who once saved you from a wolfos," Sheik added.

There were murmurs from the other Skull Kids.

"Link? The Kokiri kid who disappeared a few years back?" Vaspin asked disbelievingly, scrutinising Link once again. "But that's impossible. He was a Kokiri."

"I..." Link paused as he thought about his reply. He had been a Kokiri. He was certain of that. The Master Sword had changed him, hadn't it? He considered his words and said softly, "I was a Kokiri."

It wasn't careful enough.

"That makes no sense," Vaspin objected pointedly, head cocked slightly to one side. "What are all of you doing here, anyway?" he demanded, before placing his hands on his hips and adding, "It was right rude of you to come intruding in here uninvited. You do know that grown-ups aren't supposed to come into the woods?"

Link felt a twinge of irritation at the chiding remark.

"And why aren't we allowed here, Vaspin?" Sheik asked patiently before Link could come up with a retort. "I helped you, remember?"

"I remember," Vaspin said dismissively. "There's been nothing but trouble in the woods, ever since grown-ups started appearing. Them and those things-" he gestured towards the monsters Link had noticed earlier. 

"What are those?" Link asked as everyone stared at the creatures. "They look like bulblins only taller."

"And uglier," Navi muttered. Link couldn't help but agree.

"Moblins," Sheik said in an undertone. She walked over to the closest one and crouched beside its body. Then she cocked her head, regarding Vaspin with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. "You killed them?"

Vaspin seemed almost hesitant as he answered, "We did."

"You are fortunate that neither you nor your friends were hurt."

She even sounded impressed. Vaspin, who didn't seem so happy with this achievement, just shrugged. Evidently, he had not enjoyed the encounter, and Link could tell he had no desire to talk about it.

"You didn't answer my question, miss," he said, gazing once more into Sheik's eyes. "What brings you here?"

"We have come to help you and our friend," Sheik answered.

"A Sheikah help us?" Another Skull Kid spat, stepping forward and breaking away from his companions who'd clustered close to the dais. He cast Sheik and Rin a dark look and there was no mistaking the contempt in his voice as he said, “Yeah, sure you've come to help us. Vaspin, how can you trust these creeps?" He cast an accusing finger at the two women. "They cursed us! Remember?"

"Don't call them creeps!" Vaspin rounded on the other boy, fury in his eyes. "They're my friends. We can trust them."

"They're Sheikah! Seriously, they shouldn't be here!"

"Navi, what are they talking about?" Link whispered, moving closer to her.

But Navi's attention wasn't on him.

"Stop that!" she yelled, zipping closer to the Skull Kids. "Rin and Sheik are both trying to break the curse on the woods! We need their help."

The Skull Kid eyed her suspiciously, then turned his eyes to Link and Vaspin.

"We can trust them," Navi continued gently. "Vaspin is right; Sheik and Rin are friends. They're here to help us... and we need their help to save the woods."

What was that about? Link wondered. What had the Skull Kid meant by 'they cursed us'? Surely he didn't mean Rin or Sheik?

Vaspin spoke a few quiet, angry words to his friend. The other boy scowled, then moved back to join the other Skull Kids, his arms folded across his chest. Vaspin didn't notice them exchange a few words; his eyes were fixed on Forenz, as if recognising him for the first time. The scrawny Kokiri looked paler than ever, the pallor of his skin almost a sickly grey. Rin knelt beside him, and by the grim expression on her face, Link knew he did not have much time left. They'd have to make camp quickly and then work out how to break the curse on the temple.

That in itself sounded simple enough, but Link knew that breaking the curse wasn't going to be easy. They had little to no knowledge of what lay inside the temple's walls, much to Sheik's displeasure, or exactly what the curse was. Sheik had not been pleased to learn that Link and Navi knew little more than she did, and Link was still quite sure that if it were up to her, and Forenz regained consciousness, she would've tried questioning him.

When Link asked if Rauru knew anything about what they were heading into, curious to know how Sheik had kept in touch with him, she had only shaken her head.

"He knows no more than I," she'd answered solemnly. "We're far more blind than I would like, and with no contacts in the forest, our options are limited."

None of these problems with their plan bode well for Forenz.

"What happened to him?" Vaspin asked quietly, nodding towards Forenz. "I remember him. He's the boy that threatened to clobber me if I ever tried to set fire to Mido's house again."

"I doubt he meant it." This from Navi. "I mean, if you did try to set fire to Mido's house, then he had every right to be angry."

"Forenz is very sick," Sheik said, keeping her voice quiet. "We have to cleanse the temple and are hoping we can use its power to help him."

"Why didn't you say so?" Vaspin asked. "That would've explained why you're here."

"Perhaps we can make camp nearby. I can take Link and do what I can to break this curse," Rin suggested. She eyed the intertwining mesh of vines across the ancient facade, as if hoping that might give her some answers.

"You aren't the only ones trying to get inside the temple," Vaspin said. "There are already two Kokiri on their way here. We were told to make sure the way was clear for them."

An icy sensation crept over Link's gut, a sudden sense of dread. Rin and Sheik gave Vaspin a sharp look.

"Who?" Link demanded, cutting in before either Sheikah could speak. "Do you know them?"

"Of course I do."

"What are their names, Vaspin?" Sheik asked. Her tone was firm, but unlike Link, she didn't sound angry.

"Saria's her name," Vaspin replied. Those words made Link sick with fear. "Mido's with her too."

Saria.

"How far?" he demanded, anger rising inside him like a wave. Vaspin took a step back. Rin looked at him disapprovingly.

"I... not far," Vaspin stammered. "She stopped at the nearby Kokiri grove. Where she used to live. I- I tried to warn her. N- not safe g-g-getting here on foot. N-not with the Soulless One wandering about." His voice became pitched and frightened as Link stared at him, panic and alarm flaring up inside of him.

"The Soulless One?" Rin asked before anyone else could.

"I don't know his real name," Vaspin managed, his voice almost a shrill squeak. "He rides through the woods on a horse, guarding the way to the temple. We tried firing darts at him, but the two skull kids who attacked him ... he killed them."

"What did he look like?" Sheik said, her voice still firm as she tried to keep Vaspin focused.

"Did he have red eyes like a Sheikah?" Rin asked, trying for a slightly more direct approach. Sometimes, asking for a specific detail was more effective than asking for a general picture.

A shiver ran through Vaspin and he gasped, "No. His eyes were like fire. I couldn't see much of his face; he was wearing a mask."

"What did the mask look like?"

"I didn't stop to get a good look. I was too busy running away, but it was white, shaped like a skull with horns sticking out of it."

"What else was he wearing? Armour?" Though Rin managed to sound gentle, Link could hear her tone becoming increasingly grave. He tasted bile in the back of his throat, and his hands were sweaty. This creature was no moblin.

"He had black armour," Vaspin managed to stammer. Then, encouraged by Rin, he described the rider, quivering like a leaf as he did so.

An almost blinding fear tore through Link. He recognized the description of Ganondorf well. Even Rin and Sheik looked at each other with dismay before Sheik breathed a quiet oath.

"You let her come here despite knowing that man was around?" Link asked, his anger flaring. Vaspin squeaked in fear.

By now, all the other Skull Kids were watching the exchange.

"If that thing really is Ganondorf, then I am afraid that he will know we're here now," Rin said grimly.

"That's impossible," Sheik exclaimed. The tension in her voice did little to ease Link's nerves. He barely heard her as she continued, "Our spies have said he hasn't left his tower recently. Why would he come now?"

"The only thing that would draw him away from his tower is if he is looking for something," Rin said gravely.

Us? No, that wasn't possible. Nobody had known when they meant to arrive at the Sacred Forest Meadow, except the two Sheikah beside him.

Maybe he is looking for the Sage of the Forest.

Saria was in the forest with another Kokiri. They were alone and now possibly hunted by Ganondorf himself. A man who Link knew would not hesitate to kill them.

No. I can't lose Saria.

Link looked over at Forenz, watching the boy's laboured breathing. Whatever he was going to do, it would have to be fast. He grabbed Vaspin by the scruff of the neck, causing the kid to squeal and tremble even more violently as Link hauled him into the air, looking him squarely in the eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us about this rider before?" Link roared. "Why did you let Saria come here on her own, knowing that thing was out there?!"

It was a foolish thing to ask, but all rationality fled from Link's mind.

Navi and Rin were yelling at him. Sheik stepped forward to stop the other skull kids from intervening, but Link didn't care. All that mattered was that Saria was here, and she was in danger.

"Link! Control yourself! Put him down now!" Sheik's command was a warning; she would stop him from harming Vaspin if she had to.

Seeing this, and seeing Vaspin's terrified eyes, Link dropped him. A tiny barb of remorse stung him, but he disregarded it, too focused on what he needed to do. Without thinking, he mounted the nearest horse. Sheik said something, but he ignored her too. Then he realized he'd mounted the wrong horse.

Too late to worry about that now.

"Link, wait!" Navi yelled. "You won't be helping Saria by getting yourself killed!"

Ignoring her too, Link dug his heels into the white mare's side, urging her into a frantic gallop. Her speed took him by surprise, and the Skull Kids in front of him dashed out of the way with cries of alarm. The two Sheikah yelled at him, ordering him to stop, but he kept going.

The horse thundered through the archway and into the woods beyond the Forest Temple. The fog grew thicker, blanketing Link's surroundings and smothering the trees in an endless white veil. He relied on his memory to guide him, but the woods looked so different now and it was not just because of the fog. Most of the trees were lifeless wooden skeletons, their gnarled branches disappearing into the mist.

I have to save Saria.

The fog seemed to thicken even further, even partially obscuring his horse. Realizing he wasn't going to find his way to the Kokiri Forest in this soup, Link pulled on the reins and brought his horse to a halt.

Silence.

It was broken only by his horse's heavy breathing. He was alone, and a shroud of white engulfed him. The silence was terrifying. Almost as terrifying as the thought that Saria was being hunted by Ganondorf. Fighting past the dizzying wave of panic, Link tried to think, but his mind was spinning so much, it was almost impossible to collect his thoughts.

The Lost Woods, Link thought with dismay as a new worry settled over him. I'm lost in the Lost Woods.

He had never been lost in the woods before, except for that one time when he was five, and Mido's friends had lured him into the woods. After that, Saria had made sure he knew the woods well enough to venture out on his own. She told him to ignore the playing of the skull kids' flutes. It was a common fable amongst the Kokiri that their entrancing melody would lure one into following them in a futile errand to find the elusive performer.

A Skull Kid's flute.

That gave Link an idea. Recalling the time Saria told him he could use the ocarina to summon the forest spirits to his aid, he retrieved the instrument from his bag.

He hesitated as he grabbed the ocarina, a thought occurred to him. There was a small flaw in his plan. Saria had been talking about the ocarina she'd given him, the one he was certain had been made from a wood of a Deku Tree. Ganondorf had destroyed it. Just as he had destroyed everything else.

Not everything. Link thought.

He could still save Saria. He contemplated the ocarina in his hand. Saria had once explained that the essence of a Deku Tree's spirit lingered in objects made from its wood, giving it the seemingly magical properties bestowed upon it. Although this wasn't true of the Ocarina of Time, he knew it could store vast amounts of magic, just as the Spiritual Stones had. If it possessed earth magic, then Link was sure he could use it to summon the forest spirits.

If they are still around.

The unnatural silence of his surroundings made Link doubtful that they were still present. It was a wonder that anything still lived in these woods.

I have to try.

Perhaps someone would hear him and come to his aid. It was a slim hope, and he was just as likely to attract the attention of someone or something that would want to kill him. Desperate, and knowing that he was lost and unable to backtrack towards the temple, at least not until this fog cleared, if it ever would, Link placed the ocarina to his lips. He blew into the mouthpiece, moving his fingers methodically along the holes as Saria's Song floated through the mist in a lonely harmony. After repeating the melody several times, he stopped and waited.

Nothing.

His horse whinnied nervously, and Link stroked her mane. He was about to try again when he heard the distinct sound of another ocarina in the distance as it played the same song in reply. Had he imagined it? Was his mind just playing a cruel trick on him?

No. The song echoed through the mist again, and this time, Link rode towards the sound at a full gallop.

In what seemed like only a short space of time, his horse was treading along a familiar road with tree houses on either side of it. Well, it was almost familiar, but just like the rest of the forest, it had changed.

Most of the tree houses had been reduced to blackened husks, and debris lay scattered and rotten across the forest floor. In the canopy above, entire swathes of the wooden dwellings had collapsed, their wooden skeletons now tangled precariously in the branches. Ropes hung like lifeless vines, marking where a bridge had once crossed between two neighbouring trees. Link's insides froze at the sight, and he would have howled in grief had he not been so determined to find the person playing the other ocarina.

"Saria!" Link yelled, dismounting from the horse so fast his momentum nearly toppled him over. "Saria!"

"Good grief!" exclaimed the all too familiar voice of a boy speaking Kokiri.

At the sound of that familiar voice, an odd sense of relief swept over Link. "I almost thought you were a Gerudo.."

Mido.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded when Link didn't respond. "And what are you doing here? Honestly, you sound like a bear with a toothache."

Yep, definitely Mido.

If somebody had told Link that he would one day be relieved to hear Mido's voice, he would not have believed them. Now, the sound of a familiar voice was a warm comfort to his battered nerves. He spun around, and sure enough, a boy with a freckled face stood only a few feet away. Mido's appearance nearly caused Link to gasp- he was scrawny, his skin was covered in scrapes and bruises, and he was awfully pale. He was also wearing an unfamiliar white tunic with a symbol on it Link didn't recognize.

"You going to answer my question?" Mido asked.

"I'm looking for Saria," Link said.

Mido's eyebrows were nearly above his fringe. "How can you speak Kokiri?"

Link hadn't meant to speak his native tongue, and as he did, both Mido and his fairy looked utterly astonished.

"It's me- Link. You remember me, don't you?" he asked.

Mido looked totally nonplussed.

"Remember me?" Link tried again. When this didn't work, he searched his memory and opted for a different tactic. "You tried to cut my tree house down with a saw on my ninth birthday, remember?" Nope, that didn't work. Link tried again. "It's me. Half-man? Moblin face? Deku brains? Fairyless?" Surely that would tweak Mido's memory. 

Finally, Mido frowned. Not the response Link was looking for.

"Yeah, I remember some of that... that wasn't his idea, but..." Mido looked at Link with an odd expression. "You've met him, haven't you?"

"I am him!" Link said, a feeling of immense exasperation rising in his chest.

Mido shook his head. "No, you can't be. He's a Kokiri." As if Link had touched a sore spot, Mido's voice became surprisingly fierce, and there was an odd note of remorse in his words as he added, "I don't know how you know him, but Link's dead."

Dead? Link's heart sank. They think I'm dead?

That changed things. How was he going to explain his absence after all these years? Would Saria think that he'd run away? Would she think that he had abandoned the Kokiri to their plight? And how in Hyrule was he going to explain to her that he'd not only outgrown the other Kokiri, but that he was also the one who'd caused Ganondorf to ransack most of Hyrule.

That wasn't my fault, Link reminded himself.

Mido started speaking, breaking Link away from his racing thoughts.

"Link died seven years ago..." Mido continued. His eyes were moist, and he struggled to regain his strong, commanding tone. "Now, I don't know how you can speak Kokiri, but if you want to see Saria, you'll have to prove you were the one playing that song."

"Okay, I'll play it..." Link pulled out his ocarina and played Saria's Song again, and this time, Mido's eyebrows did disappear beneath his unkempt fringe.

"Who are you?" he asked again, sounding both surprised and afraid. "Saria only taught that song to her friends. If you're her friend, then I guess you're okay..." he frowned again, as if unsure of his own words. Then he shook his head. "I guess Saria will know what to do with you at any rate. Follow me and keep close. If you get lost in the fog, I'm not coming after you."

I know my way around, Mido. Link thought testily.

Did he? Glancing around at the ruined village, he wasn't so sure. Most of the rubble and burned husks were barely recognisable. His own treehouse had been crushed by the heavy limb of a tree that had once sheltered it from the summer storms. Staring at the wreckage, Link felt an icy fist of despair clench around his heart. Desperately trying to ignore it, Link tried to dwell on something else. It wasn't just the fog that screamed of wrongness. The laughter of the jovial Kokiri was long gone from the once peaceful abode and its absence gnawed at him.

Soon, Mido's steps crunched beneath dead leaves as he directed them towards a wooden house with ivy-encrusted walls.

Link paused a few feet away from the small dwelling, wondering just what he would say to Saria. She believed he was dead. If he just burst into the house and told her who he was, how would she react? Would she be angry? Would she even believe him? He wished he had the Kokiri Emerald on him, or even Saria's old ocarina.

"Are you coming in or not?" Mido demanded impatiently, standing by the doorway.

Link snapped his attention back to the house, and without further delay, he entered. To his dismay, the inside was not in much better condition than the outside. A crust of dead leaves and dirt covered the floor, and withered weeds forced their way through cracks in the walls.

Saria herself sat with Fora on a dirt-smeared plank of wood that had once been her bed. Like Mido, she wore a white tunic. Her eyes conveyed no recognition, only blank confusion as Link stepped through the doorway of her now dilapidated home. She looked frailer than he remembered; her face was a mask of exhaustion, and she too was covered in bruises.

"This is the guy who was playing the ocarina before," Mido said as he walked over and stood next to her, his arms folded as he continued studying Link.

"You... you were?" Saria sounded as confused as she looked. "Please, don't take this the wrong way, but who are you?"

Link could have cried upon hearing those words. All it took was those three words to cut him more deeply than any blade could.

She thought he was dead. He had expected this, but some small part of him was still certain that he could convince her that it was really him.

“Saria... it's... it's me, Link," Link stammered, his voice cracking with emotion. His eyes stung, and he swallowed back the lump forming in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms and promise never to leave her side again. “Sa?”

Her breath caught and the little colour left in her face drained away, as if Saria were convinced she was either seeing a ghost or that this was just a terrible trick. An illusion cast by the restless denizens of the forest. "That's impossible," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know what you're playing at, but he's dead..." she blinked away tears, and Link wanted nothing more than to comfort her. He wanted her to believe that it was really him.

"I..." Link struggled to speak as his throat tightened. He tried to think of something he could say to convince her it was really him.

"I can get rid of him," Mido offered, straightening up and trying to make himself look taller.

What exactly Mido had in mind, Link never found out.

"Something's coming!"

Mori's warning cry caught everyone's attention.

"I can feel it too," Fora whispered. "We need to get out of here."

Breaking eye contact with Link, Saria looked up at the two fairies. "What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it," said Mori. "It's like some powerful dark magic, and it's getting stronger."

Ganondorf. He's found us.

A scream cut through the air outside, causing everyone to jolt toward the door.

"That was one of the Skull Kids," Saria breathed in horror. "He was keeping watch nearby."

A moment later, a horn bellowed a single note that echoed through the mist.

Link wished that he had waited for Navi, knowing he could use her help right about now. She might have even been able to convince Saria and Mido that he was who he claimed to be.

Stupid. You should've thought of that before you ran off.

He stepped out of the house and onto the road, his eyes darting about the fog. He drew his sword and noticed that the yellow gem within its hilt was glowing brightly, as though the sword was trying to warn him of the approaching danger.

He kept walking forward, heart thundering in his chest. He listened for the sound of an approaching horse but he could hear nothing save his own hurried breathing.

"Get back inside," he said, turning around to face the two Kokiri. "Mori, Fora, can you sense him? Which way is he coming from?"

If the two faeries were surprised that he knew their names, they didn't show it.

"I cannot say," Mori said shakily. "The darkness seems to be coming from everywhere."

"She's right," Fora replied gravely.

Great.

"Mido, Saria, get inside now. I'll protect you, but you need to hide," Link said. It was unlikely that he could defend them, but he had to try.

Sheik's white mare was Link's only warning; she'd followed him partway to Saria's house. Link could barely see her through the grey soup that was the fog, but he saw her ears prick and turn in the direction of a sound he had not perceived.

Hoofbeats.

Before either Kokiri could move, a huge, dark shape loomed through the shadows behind them. The shape gained substance, forming a black horse with a tall rider upon its back.

Ganondorf!

"Behind you!" Link screamed, dashing towards the black rider and its quarry. He raced past the mare, ignoring her completely.

A ball of lightning shot out from the palm of the gauntlet of the man's hand, the white tendrils crackling straight towards Link. He brought his shield to bear, and the lightning struck. The blast was deafening, the force of the impact throwing him to the ground.

Rolling onto his feet, and blinking away the spots of light that danced across his vision, Link saw the horseman steer his horse towards Saria. For a horrible moment, Link was certain the horse was going to trample her.

"Saria!" he screamed.

She heard him and turned to see the horse's hooves pounding the earth as the beast gained on her. She cried out and tried to flee, but even as she did, the horseman moved to cut off her escape.

Seeing this, Link ran towards her. The horseman brought down his lance and Link's breath caught in his throat.

The spear shaft struck Saria over the head with a crack that sent her crumpling to the ground.

"No!" Link's cry of horror and dismay was echoed by Mido's own.

"You leave her alone!" Mido screamed defiantly, drawing a crude knife meant for cutting fruit rather than stabbing armoured foes. He stepped towards the horse. The Gerudo looked at him and then laughed at the pitiful gesture.

"Mido, get out of the way!" Link screamed. He was almost there before another lightning blast caused the ground in front of him to erupt in a shower of rocks and dirt. A spray of debris struck his face, momentarily blinding him. He stumbled, blinking and cursing.

By the time he'd managed to brush away the grit that smothered his vision, Link realised he was too late to do anything. Satisfied that Link was not an immediate threat, the Gerudo had returned his attention to Mido, rapping his lance over the boy's head. It struck with a savage crack,  and Mido crumpled to the ground.

In a final desperate effort to protect their charges, the two Kokiri's fairies flew at Ganondorf like tiny birds trying to fend off a predator. Seizing the momentary distraction, Link charged with an ill-considered snarl.

Only when the phantom turned to him did Link realise his mistake. The Gerudo ignored the fairies trying to rip off his mask and turned to meet Link's challenge with a disdainful snort.

It caught Link's outstretched shield with a savage swipe of its spear. Link ducked to avoid having the spearhead tear his neck from his shoulders, only to have the shaft then strike him witless, sending him into the dirt.

Dazed and bruised, Link could only watch as Ganondorf grabbed Saria's limp form, threw her onto the saddle like a sack, and then galloped off in the direction of the temple.

Willing himself to rise, despite his head's screaming protest, Link started running after the horse. Desperate to do anything he could to save Saria, he started running towards the fleeing rider. He thought of maiming the rider's horse using his Kokiri Sword, but he doubted he could do so without getting Saria injured. They were getting away, fading from sight as the veil of mist fell over them.

No.

"SARIA!" he bellowed. "Come back here, you monster! Give her back! Give her... back..."

His cries of "give her back" broke into an unintelligible sob as he fell to his knees.

Ganondorf had taken her.

No, Saria! I won't lose you too!

It was no good. She was gone. Nobody answered his cries, and the fog washed over him, chilling him.

Link remembered Mido then and struggled upright. Reality quickly caught back up with him as he realized Ganondorf was heading towards his two Sheikah companions and Forenz. Would the Goddesses be so cruel as to take the lives of two of his dearest friends?

They'd taken everything else from the day they had created the infernal cycle he was a part of.

"Link?" he jerked at the shout and spun to see Navi's azure glow zip through the fog.

She stopped when she saw the look on Link's face.

"Link? What happened? I heard you screaming... you're bleeding!"

Odd. He hadn't even noticed the blood trickling down his face after the lance had struck him. The wound itself seemed a distant pain, insignificant as he stood amongst the shattered ruins of a place once called home.

"He took her, Navi," Link managed, his voice hoarse from shouting. "He took Saria... I tried to stop him-" his throat clenched on the words, and it was easier to stare at anything but her.

"Who?" Navi asked. In an instant, she understood and her expression of confusion changed to horror. "Ganondorf?"

"He rode back towards the temple," Link said, forcing the words out against the tightness that clenched his throat. "We have to stop him."

"Forenz," Navi whispered.

Just then, Sheik arrived, the trotting of her horse's hooves announcing her arrival before they saw her. She came from the opposite direction, riding Rin's horse. As soon as she reached him, Sheik dismounted, her eyes darting from Mido's unconscious form to Link. Nobody noticed the two fairies staring at them in the distance. Then, with a grim expression on her face, Sheik surveyed the ruins of the village.

"The flow of time is always cruel," she murmured, sadness touching her voice. Her face became unreadable as she looked upon the burnt homes of the Kokiri. She strode over to Mido without pausing, and after quickly assessing his injuries, she turned to Link. "What in Din's name were you thinking? You could have been killed..." she halted, her eyes falling on his injury. Her hand twitched, as if she'd considered reaching out to touch his face. The brief show of concern was gone so swiftly, that Link was sure he'd imagined it, even when Sheik spoke in a hushed tone, "You're hurt."

"What does it matter to you?" he asked, more bitterly than he'd meant to.

"Ganondorf took Saria," Navi explained, ignoring the look the Sheikah gave Link. "They're headed towards the temple."

The anger left Sheik's voice, and there was no mistaking the concern in her voice this time. "You're certain?"

She looked as though she were hoping someone would tell her it wasn't. When nobody spoke up, the fire in her eyes vanished, as if extinguished by some unseen force. Sheik looked from Link to Navi, and then without even waiting for a response, she was turning back to her horse.

"Stay here and look after the boy!" She threw herself back into the saddle and galloped off in pursuit of Ganondorf.

"Wait!" Link called after her, taking one step forward, but she was already gone. He turned swiftly to find his horse and nearly tripped over Mido in the process.

Then, a small voice distracted him, and he looked up to see Mori and Navi hovering close to each other, their eyes locked.

"Navi?" Mori choked weakly. "Is it really you?"

Link realized that, to Navi, it had only been a matter of months since she had last seen Mori, and it warmed him to see her smile with relief at the sight of her two friends.

"It's me, Mori!"

Mori flew over to Navi, and they flew around each other happily.

"Navi, it's good to see you again. What happened? When you didn't come back... We thought you were dead."

"It's a long story. I arrived to find everyone gone," Navi said stemming her friend's questions. "We can talk about it later; right now we have to help find Saria."

Mori wasn't the only one with questions. Link wanted to know what had happened to the Kokiri while he had been gone, and where they had been taken, but every moment they wasted could mean the difference between finding Saria.. or...

No. Don't think about it. Just focus.

Link glanced down at Mido. Fora and Navi greeted each other like old friends while Link considered carrying Mido over to his horse. He looked at the boy, and, despite looking upon the face of the one who had tormented him almost his entire life, Link felt no malice or hatred towards him. The boy looked so small now, so fragile; maybe it was just the fact he was scrawny compared to when Link last saw him. It was hardly the figure of the bully he had once been.

Mori prodded Mido in the face. The boy stirred and opened his eyes. With a yelp, he crawled away from Link.

"What... what are you doing?" " His shock quickly faded as he got up. "Where did that man go? Where's Saria?"

"That man took Saria," Mori explained, her voice shaking slightly.

Mido's eyes went wide. "That must be the Forest Temple guardian the Skull Kids were talking about. I didn't believe them... thought they were trying to scare us. But then I saw him..."

He trailed off looking back at Saria's house. "Saria said something in her dreams was beckoning her to the temple. She kept dreaming about it. She said she had to go and break the curse. Where did that man take her?"

"I have an idea," Link replied grimly, noticing how afraid Mido was. He had never thought he would ever feel sorry for Mido, but he did now. "Come on."

Despite Sheik's instruction to remain where he was, Link walked back to his horse. Thankfully, Ganondorf's arrival had not caused the animal to bolt. Mido allowed Link to help him into the saddle, not particularly thrilled by the idea judging by his faint scowl, then Link leapt atop the horse, and the mare galloped back to the Forest Temple.

~ 0 ~

Mido was looking rather ill when they reached the entrance of the Forest Temple. The trek didn't take long; both fairies were able to lead the way. Having been the swiftest of the three horses the Sheikah owned, Link was hopeful the mare would gain on Sheik. Of Ganondorf he was less certain. Riding beneath the arch. Link beheld a nightmarish scene.

Rin lay slumped against the stonewall, bloodstains on her robe. Link's horse, the one he'd left behind, was nowhere to be seen. When he couldn't see Forenz, he feared the worst, until he noticed the boy lying on a mat, laid out beside a partially erected tent and an unfinished fire pit.

"What happened?" Link asked.

He dismounted, helped Mido out of the saddle, and ran over to Sheik. She was kneeling beside Rin. He froze at the sight of Sheik's hastily bandaged leg.

"Your leg," he said weakly.

"It's nothing to worry about," Sheik assured him. She glanced towards the temple steps. "That thing rode straight through here with a young girl and into the temple. Rin tried to stop it and protect Forenz, but it seemed far more interested in reaching the temple." Noticing Link's anxious glance she added, "The boy was unharmed."

"What do you mean that thing?" Navi asked.

"It's not Ganondorf. It's some kind of spirit that has taken on his image. Conjured by shadow magic. I sensed it when he got close," Sheik said, seeing Link looking worriedly at Rin, she added, "Rin will be fine."

"That creep has a thing for braining people," Mido said, noticing the bruise on Rin's head.

"I noticed," Link muttered, drawing Sheik's attention to his head again. "How bad is it?"

"Yours is the worst, but it looks like the bleeding has stopped," she said, offering him a clean cloth. The wound stung as Link wiped away the blood.

"You should go and help your friend," Sheik continued. "I will look after Rin and the boy. Once Rin wakes up, I will come and find you."

"Is it safe?" Link asked, glancing up at the tangle of vines that crept along the temple's stone facade, half expecting something to come creeping out of the dark interior of its uninviting entrance.

"It's about as safe as we're going to get in these parts," Sheik said bluntly.

Link did not feel in the least bit comforted. He turned towards the steps leading up to the temple. At that moment, Mido gave a shout as he recognized Forenz. The boy had been bundled in a cloak to keep him warm, and Mido nearly stepped on it in his haste to reach Forenz.

"Forenz?" Mido knelt, shook the boy, and then his face furrowed in concern when Forenz did not stir.

"Why won't he wake up?" Mido asked, his tone quickly going from concern to anger as he turned to Link and Sheik. "What's wrong with him?" his face went white as he finally noticed something. "You're Sheikah... aren't you?"

"I am, but I am not in league with those who claim the shadows," Sheik answered, causing Link and Navi to exchange a questioning glance. What was she talking about? "My clan was known by the one you called the Great Deku Tree, and he was amongst those who tasked us to help protect this realm."

"You didn't do a very good job," Mido noted bluntly.

"No, we did not," Sheik answered solemnly, no trace of irritation in her voice. "But I intend to see that we amend that... starting by helping your friend."

Mido glanced at Forenz. "You didn't tell me what's wrong with him."

"It's his fairy, Mido," Navi said. "Arden's dead."

Mido's eyes went wide with shock, and he immediately went quiet again, his eyes strangely moist.

"You can save him right?" he asked after a long silence. "I mean... aren't Sheikah supposed to be powerful healers and stuff? When their not busy cursing people, that is."

"No magic is without its limits," Sheik replied gravely. "I will do all that is in my power to help him."

Link found it easier to stare at his boots, not eager to let the Kokiri see his own tears as they threatened to spill. He rubbed his eye and noticed Navi's concerned look.

"Just an insect," he said reflexively, before realising there were no insects around to speak of. He wouldn't fool anyone doing that.

"Link, perhaps Mido should stay with me?" Sheik suggested, and to his surprise, he felt her hand across his shoulder. He turned his head to look at her.

"You can do this, Link. For Saria, and for the Kokiri," she whispered. "Go, I'll take care of Mido. Just- be careful. If I can get some of my allies to join us, I will, but I fear their camps are too scattered and too far away to help us."

"Hey, I'm coming too!" Mido yelled, before Link could find out what Sheik was talking about. If he'd noticed Sheik speak Link's name, he gave no indication of it.

"Mido, this is not a good idea," Mori hovered beside him, looking anxious.

Sheik regarded the boy with an almost sad smile. Mido didn't give her a chance to speak.

"Saria's my friend too!" he declared, straightening himself up and placing his hands on his hips. "I don't know how you know her, but she saved me. So now, I have to save her."

He's gotten brave, Link realized, feeling an odd sort of respect for the boy that he had never felt before.

"Fine," Sheik said heavily. "Link, it is your call then."

Link looked into Mido's determined eyes. There was no way he was talking Mido out of this. Somewhere, deep down, he knew he should try.

I hope I'm making the right choice, he thought.

Unclasping the belt that fastened his Kokiri sword to his tunic, he handed the blade to Mido, scabbard and all. The boy nodded with an approving smile and accepted it.

"Have you ever used one of those before?" he asked, knowing using a sword was very different to swinging a much heavier club as Mido had once done.

"Forenz taught me," Mido replied, looking back at the frail Kokiri beside Rin.

Link nodded.

"One last thing- take this. I doubt that shadow will be the only danger in there," Sheik said, handing Link her bow and quiver. "Good luck, Hero of Time."

With one last nod to Sheik, Link ascended the steps into the Forest Temple with Mido following beside him.

I'm coming, Saria.

Next Chapter

Reviews

SunPraiser31 chapter 23 . Nov 26, 2016 The forest has changed so much it's almost heartbreaking. That drawing in Saria's hut was a nice touch. I actually felt for Link when she didn't recognize him. God dammit not-Ganondorf! You spoiled the reunion! I'm really liking the way this is going, good job.

Cyan Quartz chapter 23 . Jun 22, 2015 The emotions!

Lord Darth Yoda chapter 22 . Sep 25, 2014 Wow so much stuff happened in these chapters. It's sad not even Saria recognizes him as an adult. I did like Links desperate run into the Lost Woods and realization he could get lost now. It seems adult Link is a lot more irrational now. I did assume that's a coping mechanism but he'll have to start thinking more if he wants to survive.