Chapter 4
The Evil King Ganondorf sat in the large chair by the wall, staring angrily at the blank space where his trophy used to hang. All that remained was the pieces of the purple crystal strewn all over the room. He rapped his fingers on the arm over and over again as he attempted to plan his next move.
The sages were missing, the princess was missing, and now Link had gone missing, as well. The matter of the sages and the princess had been a trivial matter not even worth his attention, until Zelda launched a surprise attack on him and stole back the Triforce of Wisdom. As it did not rightfully belong to him, it did not take much for him to lose it. He was plenty powerful with the Triforces of Power and Courage still in his possession, but it was still a harsh slap in the face. After that, she disappeared again.
He was plenty angry at his loss of the Triforce of Wisdom, and would surely tear Zelda limb from limb if he ever found her, but he knew that with only one Triforce piece, the girl would still be powerless to do anything to affect the dark world he had since created. Instead of dedicating himself to finding her - which, in hindsight, was a neglectful mistake - he turned his efforts into journeying out to find new lands to conquer.
When he returned, there was another insult awaiting him in his tower. Link - the trophy of his victory four years earlier - had disappeared. Judging by the fact that the distasteful scent of white magic hung in the air, and that Link was so severely injured that he couldn't have possibly survived outside the crystal on his own, he must have been stolen away by the two brat sorcerers he had banished from Hyrule after his victory over them.
His initial reaction had been disbelief. In order to banish the sorcerers back to their own world, he destroyed the Ocarina of Time, which was the vessel upon which they had traveled to Hyrule in the first place. Unfortunately for him, the ocarina had been constructed with safety features he had not anticipated. Although it crumbled in his hands, and the sorcerers were sent away from Hyrule as he had hoped, he could not completely destroy the infernal instrument. It broke apart into six separate pieces, which immediately began to glow, and flew from his hand in several directions, to the faraway corners of Hyrule. After that, the Master Sword disappeared. The auras of both the ocarina and the sword disappeared completely.
The Ocarina of Time, though in pieces, still existed, hiding itself in several different places. He had managed to find one of the pieces himself. He tried to destroy it several times, but it really would not allow itself to be completely eliminated. He decided that if he couldn't destroy it, it would at least make sure Zelda wouldn't get it. He kept it tucked away in his armor at all times, never letting it out of his possession. When Zelda had attacked him to get the Triforce of Wisdom back, she had been in close quarters with him briefly. There was no way she would have missed its aura. She had to know he had it. He hated the feel of it and regretted having to carry it with him, but it was the only way to guarantee it would be safe. They would have to kill him to get it.
But since those two brats were sent away when he broke it, it was safe to assume that it could no longer be used as their vessel. Not in its current state, at least. ...So, how in the hell did they manage to make it back?!
As much as he hated to admit it to himself, it appeared he had underestimated them once again.
Whatever the case, he could no longer ignore the situation any longer. He could no longer sit in his tower feeling proud of himself. It was okay to let Zelda and the sages run around in their futile attempts to oppose him, but now that Link was gone and the sorcerers had clearly somehow wormed their way back into Hyrule. The situation threatened to turn ugly, especially if they all managed to find each other. All this time, he had been unable to find where Zelda and the sages were hiding, and he was not having any better luck finding the sorcerers. He would think that their power would be easy to detect, being as unique as it was, but they were absolutely nowhere to be found.
This was troubling him greatly, which is why he was still sitting in his big chair, staring at the wall.
It's true that he had defeated them four years ago. But it was far from a landslide victory. While he had managed to withstand that girl Lydia's unexpected white magic attack, it had certainly taken its toll on his body. Would he be able to stand up to such an attack again? Even with two Triforce pieces, he was uneasy. The fact that Link had thrown himself in front of an attack to protect the girl is what really turned the battle in his favor. Had all three of them stayed in top form, he may have still lost in the end.
He had mulled this over in his mind several times in the last few days. So what?, he would think. He'd gotten stronger over the past four years, right? If they picked a fight with him again, who says he wouldn't defeat them easily? The power of two Triforce pieces was nothing to be trifled with - they had saved him in the previous fight. But Ganondorf was not a stupid man. If he had honed his skills over the past four years, there's no reason to believe that those sorcerers hadn't been doing the same. He was hardly an expert in that type of ancient magic, but it was probably safe to assume that their means of getting back to Hyrule without the Ocarina of Time involved some type of complicated magic that took them the entire four years to develop. It was not farfetched that they would become obsessed with getting back after what happened. If this was the case, it was also very probable that they had become stronger magic-users overall, which made them even more dangerous than they were before. They were both adults now, and he would be stupid to take them lightly.
If they somehow got the jump on him, it would not be hard for them to steal back the Triforce of Courage, and heaven forbid, for that blasted sorceress to steal the Triforce of Power from him. He could not afford to be caught off guard. He would surely be defeated if he used the same tactics as he had before. They knew him well and they knew his ways. If he were to make a move now, it's possible that they would be able to side-step him. If he hoped to gain another victory over them, he would have to approach the situation from an entirely different angle. Something new. Something fresh. Something they hadn't seen before.
As he was coming to this conclusion, he suddenly felt a presence. It was faint and distant, but it was something he had never felt before. He felt power... and darkness. He painted a picture of it in his head. A person... a broken and weak person, but having a strong power within. This was not any person he had ever felt before. This was someone new. Someone of the darkness, much like himself.
Before he could put any further thought into it, he suddenly felt a much stronger, much more familiar presence. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up. This feeling... That distasteful scent of the ancient magic... His stomach knotted as he leaned out of the closest window of his stronghold and gazed south. This was something he had not felt in a while, but there was no mistake. He was once again sensing the presence the sorcerers. The aura of their magic appeared suddenly, as if it was just now breaching this plane of existence. ...That was it, he realized. That's why he hadn't been able to detect them since Link had disappeared from the tower. They must have taken him back to their home world, the only place where he'd be unable to reach them, even with all of his current power.
He was gripping the stone windowsill so tightly that it threatened to crack between his fingers. No more games, no more ironies. He couldn't afford to play around anymore. He would find them and crush them right now, before they had a chance to even gain their footing in this changed land. Teeth gritted in determination, Ganondorf whipped around and disappeared back into the darkness of his tower.
------
The ruined Hyrule was dark and quiet, seemingly devoid of any life, with the exception of the occasional crow flying overhead in a search for something to eat. The wind sounded ghostly and sinister as it blew through the newly formed canyons in Hyrule Field. The Dragon Slave crater stood gaping in the southern field, as it always had. As the wind blew past it, dirt tumbled down into the hole, further eroding it.
Though heavily blocked out by the dark clouds, one could tell where the sun was if one looked carefully enough. The sun was just starting to rise in Eastern Hyrule, making a futile attempt to shine down on the spot where a dark, swirling vortex was starting to appear.
Gordon was the first one to appear, emerging from the portal at a run. His square glasses managed to catch what little light there was in the area and reflect it as he moved swiftly, pulling the next person through after him. The green Link followed closely, keeping the pace perfectly. Vio came through next, pulling Blue behind him, who still had his eyes tightly closed, as they had been for the entire trip. Red and Lydia brought up the rear, barely squeezing through the portal as it closed tightly behind them and disappeared, leaving the six of them to the quiet of the ruined Hyrule Field.
"I still hate doing that," Lydia groaned, casually hooking her hair behind her ears as she looked back at where the portal had just been.
"It's certainly risky business," her brother replied as he looked around slowly. "No matter how good you are, mistakes can always be made."
"And I would know all about that, I suppose. I can admit that I've--"
The girl's speech trailed off there as her eyes found the four Links, facing away from her as they stood neatly in a row, staring north. It was then that she remembered that this was their first time actually seeing Hyrule's state themselves. They'd heard enough about it from Ganondorf, as Link had told her several days ago, but actually seeing it for themselves...
She tried to think of something to say, but nothing came. A sideways glance at her brother told her that he was also at a loss for words.
"...It's worse than we had pictured," Green said softly, with an unexpected smirk on his face. "We expected some damage... but this?"
Lydia's heart churned as her gaze wandered over to where Blue stood rooted to the ground. He seemed like he was trying to be a man by not crying, like he very obviously wanted to. His hands were balled into tight fists and his teeth were clamped down firmly on his lip.
Red cleared his throat briefly and nudged Blue in the arm. "Don't start that. We can't lose focus now." His voice was intentionally strong, but everyone detected the emotion in it that Red would sooner die than express voluntarily.
"Give him a break, Red," Gordon said gently. "This is a hard moment for everyone."
"He's right, though," Lydia added. Her comment surprised everyone. The most emotional one in the group was agreeing with Red's insensitivity?
Ignoring the raised eyebrows, the girl approached the blue Link and spoke softly. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a good point. We can't let this bother us too much. I mean, it's still Hyrule! See, see, look--." She turned his attention behind her, to the visible southern field. "See, there's my crater. It's still there. I can make some more like it if you'd like, if it would make you feel more at home."
Blue couldn't help but laugh. "You did tend to tear up the countryside all the time, I guess. Hyrule wouldn't be Hyrule without your 'special touch'."
Lydia smiled. "My point is that this is still our home, and we have a chance to make things right. Let's not let this get us down."
"...Our home?"
Not even realizing that she had worded it that way, she glanced around and met the eyes of the rest of her companions, who all stared inquisitively at her. Her brother had a little smirk on his face. He seemed to know exactly what she meant.
Her eyes softened and she smiled again, and she reached down to hold Blue's hand.
"Yes. This is our home." She looked around at everyone. "Even though not all of us were born here, we've all put our lives on the line to protect this place. So many adventures and memories... This will always be our home."
Vio, with a sophisticated smile on his face, spoke for the first time since arriving. "Very well put."
Lydia giggled. "Thanks."
"She's right," Gordon said to the rest of the Links. "I feel the same way, of course."
The air itself seemed somehow lighter as the four Links started to relax. Green had a very charming smile on his face.
"...Thank you," he said. "That means a lot. To all of us."
With a little yelp of happiness, Blue suddenly wrapped his arms around Lydia in a big bear hug. He gave the other three Links a playfully defiant look. "That's it, she's mine! I'm not sharing her with any of you guys."
Green laughed, Vio smiled and put his hands up in an I-give-up sort of gesture, and Red's face turned the color of his clothes as he tried to pretend he didn't care.
"Aw, come on!" Lydia yelled at them with a playful smile on her face. "I wanna see you guys fight over me! It'd be so adorable!"
"Okay, okay." Gordon appeared at her side and gently pried Blue's arms off of his sister and shooed him away. "Lydia, you're the only person who has already experienced this Hyrule first hand. What do you think we should do first?"
The girl bit her lower lip and planted her hand on her chin in thought. She was silent for several moments as the rest of the group slowly huddled around her in a semicircle, intently gazing at her in anticipation.
Finally, she smiled awkwardly. "Not a freaking clue."
"Nice," Red said softly, receiving a sharp glare from Green.
Gordon sighed. "Well... It might not be the best idea to just go marching right up to Ganon's Tower right away. Maybe we should wander around for a while and get our bearings."
"I agree," Vio chimed in. "Other than 'things are pretty much destroyed', we don't know much about what's going on here. We need to find out what happened to everyone. I find it hard to believe that Hyrule is simply deserted."
"What about the sages?" Blue asked. "And Zelda?"
Green straightened up and peered off into the distance. "I don't like how empty this place feels right now. Finding whomever is left would be a good first start."
"Definitely," Lydia said, looking around uncomfortably. "I'd even be happy to see your bug right about now. ...I wonder where we should start?"
Suddenly straightening up and fixing his glance toward the east, Red stood ready. "Seems like we don't have to look...," he hissed.
Gordon looked up, too. "What is it?"
Quick to fall in line, the other three Links swiftly moved into a formation around the sorcerers, as if it were a rehearsed dance. "Something's out there," Vio said softly, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. "Something that's trying to hide."
"Not anymore," Green warned. "Here it comes."
Still not seeing anything, the two sorcerers focused their gaze eastward, trying to see just what had set the Links off. As if like it had been asked to, it immediately revealed itself. A wispy-looking form zipped from tree to tree, almost too fast to follow with their eyes alone. It jumped up into the air, then came in for a graceful landing within speaking distance of the group, freezing in a kneeling position.
It was a person. It looked like it was a thin man with blond hair. The only feature anyone could make out was his unusual red eye color. Everything else, including the rest of the man's face, was covered by white wrappings. There was the symbol of an eye on the chest of the thin armor he wore.
When he spoke, his voice was soft, like a faint breeze. "...Amazing...," he said.
The sorcerers glanced at each other. Red was shifting his weight over and over, obviously ready to pounce.
The small man spoke again. "Four heroes with the same face..." Without making a sound, he slowly straightened into a standing position. He was somewhat shorter than he seemed at first. Maybe a couple of inches shorter than Link, who wasn't all that tall himself.
"I have been awaiting your return," he called to them, in a somewhat more confident voice this time. "For the return of the Hero of Time. And to think I would find not only the hero, but his sorcerer companions as well, whom were thought to be lost forever. The goddesses have answered our prayers." The man bowed, as if to royalty. "I am Sheik, a survivor of the Sheikah."
"The Sheikah?" Vio echoed, relaxing his ready arm somewhat.
"That's the old race that Impa belongs to, isn't it?" Blue asked quickly. Vio nodded at him.
"Wow," Lydia whispered to them. "I thought maybe Impa was the only one left."
"What do you want with us?" Red called out to the man somewhat sharply.
The man calling himself Sheik bowed slightly. "Please, be at ease. I am no threat to you. On the contrary, I am here on behalf of Princess Zelda."
The entire group let out sharp gasps. "Zelda?!" Green called out forcefully. "She's all right?!"
"Indeed, as are all of the sages, thank the goddesses." Sheik replied with a small nod. "They are in hiding, along with the other survivors of Ganondorf's uprising."
Gordon's voice called out from the back of the group. "So there are others alive, as well?"
"Thankfully, many more than you would expect, considering the extent of the devastation. We sensed your return, and I was sent to find you and bring you back to the hidden base." Sheik turned around soundlessly, and started to move forward as if to lead. "We must not linger here, or else we will be seen by forces from which we'd be better off hiding from for now. Please, follow me."
Nobody moved. Instead, the six of them huddled together and started to whisper amongst themselves. Sheik stood still and waited.
"What do you think?" Lydia asked.
"I don't feel right about this," Vio said. "It seems too good to be true. Too convenient."
"Yeah. I welcome convenient story devices as much as the next person, but this is almost too much for even me."
"But what else do we have to go on right now?" Blue asked them. "It's either we follow this guy, or we wander aimlessly until something finds us and tries to kill us."
"I'm as eager to find everyone as you all are," Green said in a low, cautious voice. "But what if this is a trick? Like Vio said... it seems too good to be true."
Lydia put her hand on Green's shoulder. "This is the way I see it, you guys. This is the only lead we've got, so I think we should follow him. Frankly, it things take a turn for the worse, there's six of us and one of him. If he tries anything, we'll make him eat dirt. Whoever he is, he seems to know who we are, so I'm sure he also knows what we're capable of."
"Lyd's right," Red growled. "We can't ignore this. Either he leads us to Zelda, or we get to beat him up. It's a win-win situation."
Unable to stifle a laugh, Lydia replied, "Yeah, I guess that's the simpler way of putting it."
"Then it's decided," Gordon said. The boy straightened up and separated himself from the group. "We'll follow you," he called out to Sheik in a diplomatic voice.
The Sheikah man nodded. "Very good. Let us make haste, then. Our destination is in the East."
The rest of the group broke the huddle and started to walk. The Links broke off into pairs and started to talk to each other as Sheik started to lead the way.
Lydia brought up the rear. Trying not to smile as she overheard Red telling Vio that he almost hoped something would happen so that he could blow off some steam, she stayed at the back of the group, keeping to herself. Her eyes occasionally darted across the landscape, as if waiting for something to jump out from under a bush.
It wasn't until now that she realized how dirty her glasses had gotten. It had been several days since she really cleaned them, and now they were speckled with dirt. With a small sigh of annoyance, the girl stopped walking, took her glasses off, and started cleaning them with the bottom hem of her shirt.
It took several seconds to wipe the dirt from the lenses, even though she was hurrying to get the job done. She was so badly nearsighted by this point in her life that she felt very vulnerable without her glasses on. The distance between her and the group had widened, and the more it widened, the less safe she began to feel. Not wanting to get left behind, she quickly put the glasses back on and pushed them up the bridge of her nose with her middle finger.
In that instant, she felt a faint presence. She looked up with surprise and twisted around, trying to locate the source. But the feeling had gone as quickly as it had come, and she couldn't tell where it had come from.
As her mind raced, trying to pin down what direction it had come from, a voice spoke right into her ear. "Problem?"
She shrieked and jumped to the side, finally seeing her brother standing only about an inch away. "God, don't DO that!"
"What are you spacing out about?"
She paused, her mind racing. "Um... Nothing. Just thinking about stuff."
"Come on, we're falling behind."
Lydia looked over his shoulder, and saw that everyone else had gotten quite a ways down the field. Green was waving for them to follow, and even from that distance, she could see Red's impatient stare. "Oh, damn, you're right."
Letting her uneasiness carry her, she and her brother caught up with the rest of the group quickly, and they all continued toward Eastern Hyrule.
-------
They're coming, he thought. I can feel them...
Poised in the top of one of many trees along the top of one of the new cliffs in Hyrule Field, Ganondorf waited. A lot of the trees in the field were mostly dead and bare-looking, but some more resilient types still offered visual shelter. The batch of trees he had picked to observe from overlooked a newly-formed valley that stretched from west to east.
Though he had been unable to locate the specific location of Zelda and the sages after all this time, he had eventually come to the conclusion that they most likely were hiding out in the forest. He had to admit that, within Hyrule, that was probably the safest place for them. The forest had always had its own type of magic. Whenever he attempted to cross that threshold, he could feel himself getting weaker and weaker, the longer he stayed. The forest's magic had a frustrating effect of surppressing his own. As a result, he was never able to really make any headway when it came to finding their hiding place.
But since he was fairly certain that they were indeed hiding in that forest somewhere, Ganondorf knew that the sorcerers and Link would probably head that way. With the way the ground had cracked, this valley was the most direct route to the forest in the east. So, Ganondorf picked a spot overlooking the valley where he would absolutely be able to see them coming. And once he saw them, he would destroy them. The problem with this valley was that maneuverability would be limited for them. They wouldn't be able to avoid his attacks if he surprised them.
He would only have one shot, he knew. In order to get the jump on them, he was concentrating his power on suppressing his aura and presence, so that they wouldn't know he was there until it was too late. Since he had two Triforce pieces, it was very difficult for him to suppress it completely. If his concentration wavered even a little, anyone with the third Triforce piece would be able to detect him easily. Though he found it unlikely that Zelda would be out in the open like this. That in no way meant that he could be careless, he knew. The sorcerers were powerful, even without Triforce pieces. If his concentration wavered too much, it wouldn't be hard for them to detect his presence, either. He would have to wait silently, concentrating on staying magically hidden, until just the right moment...
And now he could feel them coming. He was certain of it. They were approaching a bend in the valley, and after they got around it, they would come into his view. He would wait for them to get close, and would strike. Doing so would break his concentration and allow them to sense his presence, but if he waited until just the right moment, they would not have time to react, not even Link. He would destroy them right here, right now.
They were almost to the valley bend. Ganondorf's teeth clenched and his muscles tightened. Oh, how he had waited for this moment.
The first person around the bend was actually someone he did not recognize. A really small, nimble-looking man wearing Sheikah armor. The Sheikah...? Were they even still around?
Before Ganondorf could put any more thought into this, a familiar brown-haired boy with glasses appeared around the valley wall. The boy sorcerer, obviously a fully-grown young man now. He was much taller than Ganondorf remembered, although still very skinny. His heart began to pound... Since he was there, then surely...
And then, there she was. That sorceress he hated so much. She had been fully grown the last time he had seen her, so she really didn't look all that different, except for the fact that her hair was once again quite long, a visual representation of the length of time it had been since that day four years earlier. Oh, how the very sight of her made him want to retch. It took every ounce of his willpower at that moment to keep his concentration on staying hidden for now, rather than just cutting her down that very second. Beads of sweat ran down his face as he looked on. He was focusing so hard on the sorceress that he almost didn't notice the very familiar figure appearing right in step behind her.
There he was -- Link, apparently recovered from his injuries, magically-aided, no doubt. His clothes were slightly different than they had been before, but were still colored the same green of the Kokiri people. The sword he carried clearly was not the Master Sword. It was some kind of substitute weapon. Ganondorf was now completely convinced that now was the time to strike. They still didn't have the Master Sword - the only thing he had any real reason to be fearful of.
This was it. He had to strike right now. If he allowed them to get any closer, he ran the risk of them noticing him there, even though he was hidden. He adjusted his footing on the large branch he was perched on. Without dropping his guard just yet, he called upon the power within him, bringing it to the ready. His mouth curled into a delighted sneer. Finally... Finally!
As he leaned forward, preparing to launch himself from his hiding spot, a fifth person rounded the corner. The sight of him made Ganondorf's breath catch in his throat. There suddenly felt like there was a rock in his stomach. Surely he was imagining this!
But eyes don't lie. A second Link, this one completely identical save for the fact that his clothes were blue instead of green, had come into view.
Ganondorf didn't know what to do. He just sat poised on that branch, frozen and unable to move, overcome with disbelief. He had expected the sorcerers' magic to be stronger, but surely it was impossible to create a clone of a person, right?
A third Link, this one clad in a deep shade of violet, appeared next. Ganondorf suddenly felt ready to vomit. How could this be!? How could this get any--
Dressed in red, yet another Link appeared. This one had a rather angry look on his face, and even though he wasn't looking directly at Ganondorf, the Evil King felt as if his very soul was being pierced by the intensity of that face.
No!, Ganondorf thought. No! This is all wrong! This can't be happening! There are FOUR of him! How is that possible!?
With a sickening feeling, Ganondorf realized his concentration on suppressing his magic was breaking in his panic. He knew he had to get out of there or they would sense him. He had felt confident in destroying just the originals, but when there were four Links instead of the single one he had naturally expected... His smugness and confidence had faded like a morning fog when the sun came out. This changed the situation entirely! He had to get away...!
As he felt his magical guard dropping and the power of his two pieces of the Triforce seeping through the cracks, Ganondorf fled. He jumped from treetop to treetop, a completely uncharacteristic, frantic look in his eyes. The only thing on his mind was getting as far away from that valley as possible.
-------
Sheik stopped suddenly and gazed upward, toward the northern cliff top of the valley. His one visible eye took on a momentary intensity.
He turned to look at the group of heroes that followed him. "Let us make haste," he said in his whispery, delicate voice. "It is unsafe for us to be here."
In no place to disagree, everyone else picked up the pace and fell into step behind the Sheikah.
As they walked, Lydia considered calling ahead to the slip of a man leading them, to ask where they were going, more specifically. But her better judgment told her she'd better just keep quiet. It was something about the way Sheik moved. He was quick and graceful, and was clearly maintaining awareness of everything around him at all times. Every shadow, every gust of wind, every blade of dry grass. Perhaps he had been vague about their destination on purpose. He obviously knew more about Hyrule's current climate than they did. Chances were good that speaking too loosely out here in the open would endanger revealing the hidden camp and its occupants. After all, for it to still exist under Ganondorf's rule after four years, it must indeed be well hidden.
Walking around in this ruined Hyrule was rather disorienting for the group. They found themselves continuously checking for landmarks that had been there previously, to get an idea of just where they were. Most were no longer where they remembered them to be. It wasn't until a tense, silent hour or so of walking has passed that anything around them looked at all familiar. They were approaching an opening in the east wall of Hyrule Field. It was partially eroded and even appeared to be a bit lopsided, perhaps the result of a previous earthquake. But it was still clear that this opening was the entrance to the Kokiri Forest, and beyond that, the Lost Woods. As the group looked around at each other's faces, it was clear they were all thinking along the same lines; gratefulness at seeing something familiar, but at the same time, afraid to see the state of what lay beyond.
Lydia definitely wasn't surprised that the hidden base might be in this region. After all, these woods had always had a special power. It was a subtle, quiet power that seemed to naturally repel evil. It would be foolhardy to think that the lands beyond this entryway would be somehow completely intact, that Ganondorf's reach had not been able to go this far. But perhaps the damage was lessened beyond this threshold, at least. Perhaps the forest still survived in a decent state, partially protected by its own power. Why else would a hidden haven for Hyrule's survivors be allowed to exist within?
But surely Ganondorf must have come to the same conclusion, Lydia thought to herself. Trying to find and crush any resistance that still remained in this kingdom had to be one of the Evil King's favorite pastimes. So why hadn't he found these survivors? Assuming it involved some kind of magic, Lydia found herself intrigued and eager to find out just what made this hidden base so hidden.
As they approached the dividing wall between Hyrule Field and the forest, Sheik turned slightly and motioned for the group to remain silent. It wasn't entirely necessary, as nobody had really said a word since they had started this trek, but everyone nodded their understanding. As silently as ghosts, the large group of adventurers slipped out of the ruined Hyrule Field and started into the forest.
Dusty canyon walls were slowly replaced by thin trees as the group continued on. The farther into the forest they traveled, the move confident Lydia became in her theory. Something definitely felt different in here. Glancing over, she could tell that her brother felt the difference, as well. Even the Links, with no innate magic of their own, seemed to be able to tell. Everyone seemed to relax more as they walked. This area felt a little safer. The air didn't feel as heavy, and it even seemed like more sunlight was allowed to penetrate this forest, even with the still-dense canopy of trees towering over them. The two sorcerers could still definitely sense some evil magic here, but nowhere near the level that had surrounded them back in the field. The forest seemed to be keeping most of it at bay with its own power.
Everyone was so preoccupied with the obvious difference between this area and Hyrule Field that their arrival in the Kokiri village took them all by surprise. Sheik continued on, but everyone else paused for a moment to survey their surroundings. The Links were looking slightly deflated all of a sudden. Lydia understood why; this probably wasn't the homecoming they had hoped for. But, on a second look, it certainly wasn't as bad as it could be.
All of the little houses that had previously been homes to the Kokiri children were clearly deserted. A couple of roofs had even collapsed inward. Previously tended gardens had been allowed to wither and had been taken over by wild grasses. The stream that ran through the village still existed, but the water looked a little murky. Various household items and tools were scattered about; some half-buried in the earth. The whole place had a look of a sudden abandonment.
Blue, standing closest to Lydia, trembled slightly. She couldn't tell if it was because he wanted to cry, or if it was from anger, or possibly both. Either way, he was clearly on the verge of getting emotional.
"Hey," she whispered to him, "don't get too discouraged yet. I'm sure the Kokiri made it out before things got nasty. I know you can tell things feel different here. I'm sure the forest fought off the magic long enough for them to escape."
Appearing to compose himself, he whispered back, "I hope so."
As if appearing out of nowhere, Sheik was suddenly beside them. Both jumped in surprise.
"Please continue to be silent," the Sheikah advised in a wispy voice. "These woods are certainly safer than the other areas of the kingdom, but we cannot let our guard down yet."
"Right," Lydia whispered to him, nodding her head. "Sorry about that."
"Follow me." Sheik turned his back to them and started toward the north edge of the village. "We are nearly there."
Nestled at the top of a hill in the north of the village was a path into the darkness of the Lost Woods. The group walked over debris and dead vegetation as quietly as they could as they approached it. The area was so silent that a passing breeze was almost loud enough to startle them. It seemed to make things feel even more unsettling, and they unconsciously quickened their pace, eager to cross over into the Lost Woods. They would be in much closer quarters then, not out in the open like they currently were. The change would be welcoming and comforting, almost like a mother's embrace. As they left Kokiri Village, Lydia silently prayed to the goddesses that what they found beyond this threshold would bring them hope.
-------
Feeling weak, broken, and disoriented, a thin young man named Vaati stumbled through the ruined field, making very slow progress. He didn't even know where he was going, really. He just felt like he had to go somewhere. He had no idea where he was, and memories of what had happened to him were fuzzy at best.
A cold breeze blew past him, and he wrapped his violet-colored cloak more tightly around himself. His long hair, so fair and light in color that it managed to shimmer even in the almost non-existent sunlight, wasn't offering as much protection from the chill in the air as he would have hoped. The wind went right through it, straight to the sensitive skin of his neck. The weather was probably not as cold as it felt, he thought, but his weakened state was making him more sensitive to the elements.
He had to stop and rest. A somewhat large tree stood nearby. It was stripped bare and the wood had the appearance of being petrified... Vaati thought that that tree must have looked beautiful once, but it was clear something catastrophic had happened to this place. Even so, the dead tree was large and was somewhat stooped over just enough that it would still offer him some decent protection from the wind. He curled up in the lee of the trunk, wrapped his cloak around himself, covered his long ears with his hair as best as he could manage, and tried to make sense of what was going on.
Vaati couldn't remember much. He had recollection of some kind of battle. He closed his eyes and tried to picture it. He was up against a powerful enemy... No, four. There had been four of them. Yes, that was it. Four young boys that had the same face. He had trouble picturing that face now. The battle had been fierce...
His eyes closed tighter as a shiver ran up his spine. There had been something else, too. A dark presence in the back of his mind during that battle. Something that had been... influencing him. He couldn't remember what it had been, though.
Who won that fight?
It hadn't been him, he soon remembered. He had been defeated. And then, there was darkness. He felt imprisoned somewhere. Not in a physical place, but in some sort of mystical plane. It had been really unpleasant. He didn't feel complete there. It was like his body had been scattered in all directions. Vaati trembled as he remembered his imprisonment in that place... that place he couldn't quite recall.
Why was I in a battle?
He couldn't remember why he was even fighting those four boys. He saw himself in his mind using magic... his opponents had swords...
Vaati's eyes snapped back open and his breath caught in his throat. The vague memories suddenly started to snap together as his mind cleared.
The Four Sword!
That's right. I was sealed away by the Four Sword.
It hadn't really been four boys he had fought back then. It was a single boy warrior who had been split into four different entities when he took up the Four Sword for battle. He had been fighting them for some reason, they cut him down, and he was sealed away by the sword. That's what the darkness had been. That horrible, sanity-stealing darkness he had been in for so long. In that place, it felt like time had stood still, strengthening a feeling that he would never be released. A single tear streamed down his face as he remembered the despair he constantly felt while he had been sealed.
Vaati gritted his teeth and rubbed his eyes. "Fool, stop crying and be a man" he grunted. It was the first time he had spoken aloud since coming to this place. His voice was unexpectedly strong for someone so frail-looking.
After regaining his composure, he tried to remember what had happened next. Darkness, darkness... more darkness... And then suddenly he felt a jolt of energy, and it felt like his scattered body snapped back together. A light had appeared, and he felt like he had been flying through some kind of vortex. And then he woke up here, in this place that felt so strange, yet oddly familiar.
The wind picked up again briefly, blowing Vaati's light violet hair into his eyes. Hooking some of it behind his ear with his slender fingers, he took a breath to steady himself. His mind was racing and he struggled to keep up with everything he seemed to be remembering all at once. The details were still missing, but he had most of the picture now. The only big question still remaining was why he had been in that battle that had gotten him sealed away. Vaati was self-aware enough to know he wasn't the friendliest person that ever existed... He had always been a bit of loner, and never really had anyone he could have called a friend. In fact, he had actually been treated pretty badly by people growing up. There had always whisperings about how strange he was, comments about his innate power... Everyone had been afraid of him.
It would make anyone resentful, but not automatically aggressive. Vaati never had been. Instead of lashing out, he simply withdrew. What in the goddesses' names could he have done that had gotten him in to a life-or-death struggle like that? And why had the seal now been broken?
Vaati could slowly feel his strength returning. If he rested a while longer, he might be able to move on. But where on earth was he supposed to go? He didn't even know where he was!
All he knew is that he was in some sort of large clearing, and based on the position of the mostly-obscured sun, he assumed he was in the southern half of it somewhere. From his small shelter against the north side of the tree, he could see the rest of the clearing before him. There were many cliffs and valleys off in the distance, but unless Vaati's eyes deceived him, they looked like new formations. Perhaps the ground had been ruined in whatever catastrophic event had killed this tree he now rested against. Maybe, in better days, it had been a grassy field.
Slightly off to the northwest, he saw what looked to be a large compound. There was no telling what it had been in the past, but whatever ruined this place had sunken it partially into the earth, so it was probably no longer in use. There really wasn't much to see other than this from where Vaati was now. Maybe if he ventured onward he would find more landmarks.
One other thing didn't escape his notice, however. In the far, far north, he could see some kind of dark mountain. Vaati squinted his eyes as he looked at it, trying to see through the gloom. The mountain seemed to have a jagged peak... No, that was no mountain, he realized. It was a castle. Some kind of keep or fortress.
Something stirred within him. Though it felt familiar, he did not remember what it was. Some kind of darkness within him, reacting to the sight of that castle. It rose within him, like bile in his throat. It was his magic, he realized, having momentarily forgotten about his own power. Seeing that castle was making something within him want to unleash that power, possibly in a very destructive way. Vaati was absolutely shaking from the effort to keep the power under control.
Slowly and steadily, the magic calmed. Vaati felt a wave of relief come over him as the power quieted and he regained control. He was in an unfamiliar place, and having his magic run wild here could have been very dangerous. He suddenly realized that he was standing. At some point he had jumped to his feet and left the shelter of the three. His cape billowed wildly around him as the southern wind continued to blow fiercely.
He risked another glance at the castle in the north. He felt the magic stir again, but it stayed quiet. What was it about that castle that had made his magic go crazy like that? It had created such intense feelings of anger within him that he had almost lost control. But why? This place certainly wasn't his home, so he had no connections here, right?
Against his better judgment, Vaati decided that he would start heading in that direction. The rest had done him good and he felt strong enough to start walking. There was something significant about that castle, and he was going to find out what.
Vaati wrapped his cloak around him again and started walking, taking slow, measured steps at first. His eyes were glued to the sight of the dark castle in the distance. The dark magic within him continued to stir, the feeling growing more intense the farther he went. He stayed well in control, but it was clear the magic was growing eager to reveal itself. It was urging him on, tickling his mind, telling him it really wanted him to get to that castle. He would not let the magic control him, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he was going to listen to the magic's desires for now. Without really meaning to, Vaati had picked up speed and was now running.
-------
Ganondorf sat on the stairs. He hadn't even made it all the way up to the tower. He was sitting in the winding staircase about halfway up, too overcome to continue.
How?, he asked himself. How has it come to this?
He kept trying to think of what he was supposed to do now, to no avail. He had somehow become outnumbered six-to-one. Six! And that was without even considering Zelda or the Sages, all in hiding somewhere, waiting for their opportunity to strike back at him. Even with two Triforce pieces, things were still looking very, very bad. For the first time in years, the Evil King was genuinely worried about his chances.
"Get a hold of yourself," he said aloud. "Think. Just think. There has to be a way."
Zelda and the magic boy and the multiple Links aside, Ganondorf knew his biggest threat was that blasted girl sorcerer, because of her connection to the Triforce of Power, much like his own. If he lost one of his Triforce pieces, that was definitely it for him. He was way too outnumbered to win this fight with only one piece.
The answer was simple. He had to kill her. Not mentally torment her and mess with her, like he had done before, but to actually do something along the lines of removing her head from her neck. He wasn't playing around anymore.
But, of course, this was much easier said than done. Today, they hadn't expected him to show up so soon, and they were not really on guard. Luck had also played a part in it, he had to admit. Once they knew he was on the move, as they would know soon if they didn't know already, the sorceress would sense him coming from a mile away. He had lost his chance for any kind of surprise attack. This wasn't something he could do himself. It would have to be done by someone under his command that they wouldn't be suspicious of right away; someone normal-looking. But nobody under his command was nearly powerful enough to kill that girl.
Ganondorf sighed and rested his head against the wall behind him. That clearly wasn't a viable option. He'd have to think of something else.
There he sat in the silence of the staircase for several minutes. The light from the torches flickered all around him, making the shadows dance. Outside the window, it was clear that the wind had picked up. He wasn't so high up that he couldn't still see the tree line way off in the distance, and those trees were swaying back and forth, as if joining in the shadows' dance.
Suddenly, Ganondorf felt the presence of a dark energy. He stood and crossed the stairway to the line of windows along the outside wall. The energy was growing stronger by the second. It felt somewhat similar to his own, but still different enough that one could definitely not mistake it for his. It was somewhere way off in the distance. He remembered this presence - he had felt it very briefly right before he felt the sorcerers' aura as they had returned.
Just as suddenly as it came, the energy died back down. If he concentrated on it, Ganondorf could still feel it slightly. He stood there in the stairway of his tower, holding his breath, afraid to move a muscle, lest he lose track of the faint remnants of that energy. A few more minutes slowly crept by, and nothing else happened.
And then, the presence was on the move. It was coming closer, slowly at first, then started to pick up speed.
Whatever it is, it's coming for a visit, Ganondorf thought. Unable to completely suppress his interest, he smiled a little bit as he started back down the stairs.