Chapter 3: Road to the First Temple
"Link!"
The Hero heard the call and got to his feet, his face stained
with his tears. He couldn't see anyone.
The Hero immediately started to worry. There were no guards,
or people of any other kind anywhere, and he couldn't
see anyone who could have made the call. He wiped his face with
his sleeve and became his serious fighter self again.
Drawing the Mater Sword he scanned the grounds for signs of
who could have called him.
"Link!"
There it was again. Link swivelled and saw a small ball of light
flying towards him.
Link's mouth dropped open. It couldn't be.
"Link!" came the voice again.
It was. Link stared in amazement.
"Navi?"
The little fairy got to him, and began fluttering around him
as she always had done ten years ago.
"Hi, Link!" she said awkwardly.
"Where have you been? It's been ten years!
You just flew off after we defeated Ganon! I've worried
about you for years! What were you doing?"
"I'm sorry Link, but you didn't need
me anymore! I wanted to stay with you, but I couldn't!"
"Why not?"
"I just couldn't! I had to leave!"
"So why are you back now?"
"I think you need me again!"
"So after ten years when I've had to be okay
on my own, you decide I need your help again!"
"You don't understand Link! This is bigger
than anything you've done in the past ten years!"
"What, just because it's Ganon? I went up against
him again four years ago, and you didn't come then!"
"That was different! You fought Ganon, only Ganon!
You know what Ganon said! 'If you can't guess
where they're gone, you really haven't learnt
anything from our previous meetings!'"
"Yeah, Ganon's locked them up in the temples!"
"Exactly! You don't know what could be in those
temples!"
"Well, whatever reasons you have, I am glad to have
you back Navi!"
"Come on, let's get going! We have to stop
Ganon!"
Link smiled, happy to have his old friend back, plus a travelling
companion.
"I think we should go to the Light Temple first! That's
where Zelda is, plus we need to awaken the new Light Sage! You
know about Rauru, right?"
Navi nodded sadly.
"You're right! The Light Temple, so let's
go to the Temple of Time!"
Link nodded and ran back toward the Market.
"What happened here?"
Link stood in the Market. Bright daylight had reappeared now
they were outside of the Castle, but the usually happy place
that was Hyrule Castle Market was desolate and empty. Silence
filled the air.
"What's Ganon done to them?" asked
Link bitterly and ran over to the Bazaar, Navi fluttering behind
him.
He opened the door to the Bazaar, but it was empty. There were
no shoppers, and no one behind the desk.
"Damn!" muttered Link and exited, going across
to the Happy Mask Shop. It was as empty as the Bazaar.
"I'm guessing all of the shops are gonna be
like this!" he said sadly. Navi didn't respond.
"Well, let's get going!" said Link
brightly, but Navi could tell he was only putting it on. She
had seen his reactions the last time this had happened, and she
knew him well, even though she hadn't been with him over
the past ten years, but if she had, she'd have known
his love for Hyrule had increased greatly.
They made there way across the silent market and up the steps
into the courtyard of the Temple of Time. Link ran across to
the entrance.
"Damn!" said Link again.
The entrance to the Temple of Time was blocked by a huge stone
door.
"We'll never get through this!" said
the Hero bitterly.
"Do you think everywhere's the same as the
Market?" asked Navi quietly.
"I hope not!" Link replied sadly. "But
let's walk across to Kakariko and have a look there!"
They walked quietly to Kakariko Village. It was only a short
walk and Link didn't feel like riding, so he didn't
bother calling Epona.
They made their way across Hyrule Field to the steps leading
into the village.
"Damn!"
They looked out over the silent Kakariko. No one was here either.
"Do you think it's worth going up to Goron
City?" asked Navi.
"I've heard enough silence for now! Let's
go to Kokiri Forest! I'll stay in my old house for a
while! I can't stay at the Castle anymore!"
Link still didn't feel like walking, so they walked
across Hyrule Field solemnly until they reached the Forest. It
was as empty and silent as everywhere else.
Link walked quietly across to his house and slowly climbed the
ladder. He walked inside.
The house was different to when he had lived there as a child.
The tablecloth was gone, and all the little ornaments. It was
very bare, but there was still a bed. Link climbed in, though
his feet poked out the end, and went to sleep. Navi landed on
the table next to him, and also went to sleep.
Morning dawned over Kokiri Forest, with dark clouds covering
the sunlight.
In his little treehouse, Link awoke and found that he had rolled
onto the floor during his sleep.
He got to his feet immediately and pulled on his green Kokiri
tunic and snatched up his hat, before pulling on his brown Kokiri
boots.
"Come on Navi!" he called, as he ran from
the house and climbed quickly down the ladder.
Navi suddenly realising what was going on quickly fluttered
after him.
"So where are we going today?" she asked when
she had caught up with him.
"Forest Temple! Where else?"
"Okay, but why the Forest Temple."
"A couple of reasons. One, it's the closest!
Two, that girl, Arena, Ganon sent her to the Forest Temple and
I wanna know who she is! Three, my prime concern when it comes
to safety of the five Sages we can reach is Saria, and she's
in the Forest Temple!"
"Why Saria?"
"She's the most vulnerable! The others can
all take care of themselves!"
"What about Ruto?"
"She'll be fine! She acts weak but I bet she
could hold herself in a fight, and I feel more for Saria than
Ruto."
"That whole "engagement" thing still
annoying you, huh?"
"Not really! After Ganon was locked up first time around,
only me and Zelda had any memory of what had happened, plus Ganon,
but he was locked in the Evil Realm, and you, I guess you remember?"
"Yeah, I remember!"
"Well, me and Zelda told all the Sages that they were
Sages, and Ruto gave up on the engagement, plus the Spiritual
Stone of Water was no longer hers to use as an engagement ring,
but from the start, I didn't like her! She always annoyed
me!"
They had now entered the Lost Woods from the entrance at the
top of a hill in Kokiri Forest behind Mido's house. Link
stopped talking and stood for a second listening.
"Hear that?" he asked his fairy sidekick.
"Yeah, no music!"
"Exactly! That mysterious music has played all ten
years, plus before that of course, and now it's just
stopped. Something's not right here!"
"What do you think it is?"
"I dunno, but the skull kids have something to do with
the magic in the forest! Lets ask them!"
"I thought the skull kids hated grown ups!"
"The majority do, but I'm friends with one!
He was involved in an adventure I had when I was eleven! Those
damn three days!"
Link smiled to himself at the memory of having to repeat the
same three days over and over to stop the moon crashing to the
earth.
They were now in the clearing where the skull kid had always
stood on a tree stump. He wasn't there.
"Where do you think he is?" asked Navi.
"Don't worry! He usually isn't here
these days! He goes many places now, along with Tatl and Tael!"
"Who are they?"
"Fairy friends! I don't know if you'd
like Tatl! She's got a very strong spirit!"
Link smiled to himself again, then stood on a small tree stump
and faced the larger one. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time from
his pocket, and played the happy jolly tune of Saria's
Song.
When he had finished, he dropped the Ocarina from his lips and
stood still.
"What's supposed to happen?" asked
Navi.
"Skull Kid should hear that and come to see what it
is!" said Link assuredly.
"Well he isn't coming yet!"
"Give him a second!"
They waited silently for a minute or two, before Link sighed
in a sign of giving up.
"I wish I knew what was going on here!"
"Do you think Ganon locked them away too?"
asked Navi hopefully.
"I suppose, if they wee near, but they spend most of
their time in Termina!"
"Well, maybe they happened to come back to Hyrule and
Ganon locked them away!"
"I guess we haven't got much choice but to
keep going and hope they're alright! Let me try one last
thing though!"
Link raised the Ocarina to his lips again and played a quick
moving song, which was very jolly and happy.
"I didn't recognise that!" said Navi.
"You wouldn't! It's a song Tatl's
would know. She used to hum when she was doing something! She
hummed her way through the adventure! I would join in some times
while we were walking and play the Ocarina, so we composed that.
It's called Clock Town Tune! We've actually done
it as a big piece for the carnival of Time, with the Indigo Go's!
I'm hoping she'll hear it and come!"
Again they waited, but no sign of any life came.
Link flumped down on the tree stump, utterly depressed.
"Why'd he have to lock away all the races too?"
he asked angrily.
"I dunno! I guess he just wanted to annoy you more
than ever!"
"Well he's doing a damn good job! I just hope
by freeing the Sages we free them to!"
"Come on, we better get going to the Forest Temple!"
"Yeah, you're right! Moping around here isn't
going to help the Kokiri, or Saria, or that girl Arena, or Skull
Kid, or-"
He was cut off by Navi.
"I get it Link! It won't help anyone!"
Link smiled, and got to his feet. They left the clearing and
walked through the silent woods.
"Come on Link! You've got the Ocarina! This
silence is driving me mad!" said Navi at last. "Play
the whole of Clock Town Tune while we walk!"
So Link got out his Ocarina again and played the happy tune
as they walked. As the tune came to an end, Link went straight
into Saria's Song, and they went along at a jolly pace,
Navi flying in patterns up and down, and around and around, while
Link nodded his head to the beat and played the tune. Suddenly
slipping into Zelda's Lullaby.
Navi changed her pattern to a little slower, going in time with
the notes, until suddenly they found themselves at the entrance
of the Sacred Forest Meadow.
Link put away the Ocarina.
"Right, I don't know if it'll be empty,
or if there's going to be ogres, or angry Scrubs in here!"
he said.
"Only one way to find out!" said Navi and
she flew forward.
"Hey!" Link called after her, and ran through
the big arch that announced the entrance to the Meadow.
Link looked around.
"Nothing so far!" he said to Navi.
He began to run forward and heard a howl. Twisting, he saw a
wolfo leap from the floor. There was another howl and Link swivelled
again. A second wolfo leaped up. They began circling round and
round the Hero.
Link had dealt with Wolfos before. He swiftly brought his shield
up in front of him for defence, and watched the first wolfo circle
him; the Master Sword held at his side should he need it. His
long ears were straining for a sound in case the other wolfo
tried to attack while Link was turned.
It paid off, for he heard the softest of sounds and turned to
see the wolfo charging him.
Link back flipped away as the wolfo swung its claws at him.
The swing carried it off balance when it hit nothing and left
it's back exposed. Link stabbed with the Master Sword
and killed it.
There were two more howls and up came two wolfos to replace
the fallen one.
"Not good!" called Link to Navi.
"Yeah!" called Navi in agreement.
"Only one thing for it if things carry on like that!"
"What, for every one we kill, two more come on the
scene!"
"Exactly!"
"Then I agree with you!"
"Okay then! Lets go!"
Link turned and bolted. He ran away from the wolfos deep into
the Meadow, among the passages. Wolfos blocked his path. The
Hero of Time still had his Hylian Shield up in front of him as
he carefully moved forward.
A wolfo attacked. Link dealt with it and ran.
More sprang up at every turn, as Link dealt with them constantly,
more hording behind him, chasing him.
Eventually, Link fought his way to the stairs leading up to
the entrance of the Forest Temple.
He turned to face the wolfos converging after him and stabbed
forward immediately.
The wolfos were caught off guard, and he caught one in the nose
with his sword.
It howled with pain and fell back, a paw over the injured nose.
Link hacked forward on its head, killing it. Two more leapt at
him from either side, but the Hero jumped back quickly so that
they crashed into each other.
"That'll teach you!" he laughed and
stabbed downward on one of them. The other flopped to the floor
and was trampled by more attacking.
Link was forced to slowly back away up the stairs.
Suddenly, there was another howl.
Link turned to see wolfos charging down towards him.
"We're sandwiched between them!" said
Navi worriedly.
"Yeah, I saw that!" muttered Link to himself.
He stood ready as they charged from either side.