Ocarina

Part 2

by

Kelly Lea Harris

 

 

North Castle, Hyrule (Late Evening- Near Midnight)-

            "Is there something wrong?" the woman with the blue hair asked.

            "It's not a plesent memory," Link said. "Look, can't you just get it over with?"

            "Are you always this impatient?" the woman asked.

            Link smirked. "I don't remember."

 

Great Deku Tree Medow (Late Evening)-

            Link approched the massive tree. To say the tree was gigantic was an understatement. To say it filled up half of the sky was a bit closer to the truth.

            "Thou art the boy rescued this night?" the tree asked.

            Link certainly never expected the tree to actually talk. But when it did, all he could say was, "Um... yeah..."

            "Listen to my words carefully," the tree said. "We of the forest know of an evil, but cannot leave the forest to styme it. Thou hast met them this night. They are so powerful that our only weapon is confusion, and only as long as they remain in the forest. Their goal, Hyrule Castle, south of North Castle. Thy task is a hard one. The castle must be warned, but they will not believe thee unless thee bares the crest. We can give thee only part of the crest. Thy must travel to the Gorons and the Zoras for the other two parts. Then..." the tree paused. "Then thy may warn the castle... and rescue thy kin. Art thou ready to receive the crest?"

            Link nodded.

            A bolt instantly lept from the tree, hitting Link square in the chest, knocking him uncontious.

 

Dragon Wood Forest, Hyrule (Morning)-

            Link opened his eyes. The green haired girl who helped him last night was above him. "Good morning," she said. "Breakfast is on the table..."

            "I don't eat breakfast," Link said.

            The girl rolled her eyes before continuing. "I brought some Kokiri clothing for you... to replace the ruined ones you're wearing. Mido lent you his Deku Shield... and the Great Deku Tree insisted on letting you use the Kokiri Sword. And I bandaged your wounds while you were asleep." The girl left abruptly.

            Link glanced at the mirror. The most serious of his cuts were indeed bandaged, and even his once bloodly nose taken care of. His gaze fell to his clothing. His purple tunic and black vest were nearly unrecognisable. He reached over to the bundle of clothing the girl had left. A green tunic and green floppy cap, nearly identical to the ones the forest boys were wearing.

            "Well... it's... um... interesting," Link said. He slipped into the clothing. "Better than nothing..."

 

North Castle, Hyrule (Late Evening- Near Midnight)-

            "You've obviously changed your mind since then," the woman commented.

            Link glanced down. Though he was not currently wearing his green jerkin and floppy cap, he knew what the woman meant. "I've grown to like them."

 

Dragon Wood Forest, Hyrule (Morning)-

            Link reached over for the shield when he noticed the back of his hand. On the back of his left had was a triangle. He reached over and rubbed it, but it didn't come off. "Must be that crest," Link mumbled. He grabbed the shield and sword, and left the little tree house.

            The green haired girl was standing outside the house. "You're leaving," she said.

            The boy Link had met last night dashed up beside the girl. "Hey! You look almost Kokirish!"

            "Um... thanks," Link still didn't think much of the clothing.

            "I know this is silly... but..." the girl placed an instrument in Link's hands, "would you take this? I have a feeling it may help someday."

            Link looked at it. It was a blue ocarina with a silver band on the neck near the blowhole. He looked back at the girl and boy. "I didn't catch your names."

            "Saria," the girl said. "And this is Mido," she gestured to the boy next to her.

            "Link," Link said.

            Saria and Mido walked with Link to the edge of the forest. "Sorry we can't go with you," Mido said. "But we can't leave the Kokiri Forest."

            "Kokiri Forest?" Link looked at Mido. "I thought this was called the Dragon Wood Forest... Or does Kokiri mean Dragon Wood?" He stepped out of the woods and turned around. "Uh... thanks for your help."

            Saria and Mido waved to him before vanishing. Link blinked, then rushed to where they had been standing. "Wierd," Link said, examining the spot. He shook his head and walked off.

 

Goron City, Hyrule (Early Afternoon)-

            Link walked through the entrance into the underground city. The first thing he noticed was that there was no one around. The second thing he noticed was a large monster whose head brushed against the stalactites. The third thing he noticed was that the monster noticed him.

            "This cannot possibly be good," Link said to himself. He rushed forward and smacked the monster on the nose with the sword, but it only bounced off. He lept away as the monster rushed forward. He noticed that he hand landed next to a strange plant. It looked like a bomb, but it was growing out of the ground.

            The monster turned around. Link jumped up to get out of the way, but in the prossess he kicked loose the bomb plant. Just as the monster reached where the bomb plant was, it exploded. The monster staggered backwards, exposing it's underside.

            Link had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. When the monster staggered, Link rushed forward, plunging the Kokiri Sword into it's throat rather clumsily. It reared up, nearly yanking Link's arm out of it's socket. The monster fell one last time, then blipped out like many monsters do when they die.

            Link retrieved the sword, a little worse for wear, but still in good shape.

            A strange looking roundish person came out of hiding. A second came out, then a third... followed by an entire group. They surrounded Link, cheering and praising him. One of the roundish people, with an entire flock of hair, gave Link a good thump on the back, knocking Link off his feet.

            "You did it!" the hairy one cheered. "I didn't think we'd ever be rid of that dodongo."

            "Glad I could be of service," Link moaned from ground level.

            "I am Darunia, Big Brother of the Gorons," the hairy one said. "And you are...?"

            In pain! "Link Chance."

            "Well then, Leenkchanse," Darunia said, "A brave deed such as that should be rewarded. What would you like?"

            "An asprin would be a good start... "Uh... well... I need... the crest..." Link showed the back of his hand, sporting the triangle. The moment he said that, a strange light filled the city. The light condensed into a single point... then struck Link... knocking him uncontious.

 

N Team House, Megaland (Early Afternoon)-

            Kevin was sitting on a couch, finally reading that book by Dr. Right which Lana was so fond of discussing. This reads like a Star Trek manual, Kevin thought. Stable warps require exotic matter with negative energy. Kurt Gödel's time-machine solution in general relativity involves a universe with constant uniform energy density and zero pressure which spins but does not expand.

            He looked up at the clock, then placed the book aside. "This is getting rediculous. Lana promised she'd be back by one... it's almost three." In an instant, he was up and pacing like a caged tiger. He stopped. "Get a grip, Kevin," he said to himself. "It is midnight there, after all. She's probably fallen asleep or something like that."

            Kevin resumed pacing. "I still have a bad feeling about all this."

 

North Castle, Hyrule (Midnight)-

            "Tell me," Link said to the blue haired woman, "what is it about knocking people uncontious when they get part of the crest?"

            "What do you mean people?" the woman asked. "Only you have gone on that quest."

            "Okay then," Link didn't argue the point. "What is it about knocking me uncontious?"

            "Energy follows the path of least resistance," the woman stated. "You are least resistant when you are asleep." It made a perverted sort of sence.

 

Zora's Domain, Hyrule (Late Afternoon)-

            Somehow, Link hand managed to get out of Goron City intact... or more importanly... without getting any big Goron hugs from the city inhabitants. (He felt like screaming if he got called Leenkchanse one more time.) He looked down at the back of his hand, now sporting two triangles pointing in the same dirrection, with the top point of one touching a bottom point of the other.

            He looked back up, to the underground lake. In the time it had taken him to look at his hand and look back up, a Zora had popped her head out of the water. A Zora girl. "What are you?" she asked.

            "Hylian," Link said.

            "But you're dressed like a Kokiri," the Zora girl pointed out.

            "Only 'cause my Hylian clothes were ruined," Link said.

            "What do you want from us?" the girl asked.

            "I need a piece of the crest."

            "What do you want me to do about it?" the girl asked. She dove beneith the water before Link had a chance to say anything.

            "Friendly folks," Link grumbled. He moved along the side of the underground lake until a scream echoed throughout the caverns. Link spun, trying to find the source of the scream, but the water was absolutly calm and gave no hint as to what was going on.

            He continued moving about the side of the lake, determined to find the source of the scream. After sometime, he came across a pair of large eyes gazing at him from under the water. He leaned over to get a better look...

            Suddenly the creature's head rushed out of the water. It opened it's huge maw and took a deep breath... sucking Link in. Link landed on his front, on a very large and very wet tongue. The Zora girl he had talked to earlier was near him... just as disoriented as he was.

            The girl looked at Link. "What's up with Lord Jabu-Jabu?"

            Of course Link didn't know who Lord Jabu-Jabu was, he could only assume she was talking about the thing that had swallowed them both. "We've gotta get out of here... um..."

            "Ruto."

            "Link." He didn't add his last name in... he didn't want to risk being called Leenkchanse again. He looked around. "Doesn't look like he's interested in letting us out the way we came."

            "Then we go the other way," Ruto said.

            "You actually want to go into his stomach?" Link asked, surprised.

            "Wimp," Ruto sneared at Link.

            Link shook his head. Somehow, he didn't think trying to explain to a half girl, half fish that he wasn't interested in being digested was going to work. He followed Ruto deeper into Lord Jabu-Jabu's innards, stopping when he saw writing on the lining of whatever organ they were in.

            Jonah was here.

            "Hmm..." Link muttered. "I wonder how he got out."

            "Hylian boy, get over here," Ruto said.

            "Hylian boy?" Link asked. He moved over to Ruto's side. Farther down, there was a strange sort of... creature... that obviously didn't belong in Lord Jabu-Jabu. It had three sucker type tubes feeding off of the lining of Lord Jabu-Jabu's lungs. "Now that's sick," Link said.

            "I'll distract it," Ruto said. "You hit it with that knife."

            "Sword," Link corrected. "Wait! Are you nuts?" Ruto lept forward. "I guess you are," Link said. When the creature reached out for Ruto, Link lept forward, striking with the Kokiri Sword with about as much grace as a monkey in tight shorts. It retaliated by throwing Link into the wall of the lung.

            "You are so useless," Ruto growled at Link. She rushed forward, but she too was thrown back.

            Link jumped forward, slashing at the creature. He ducked the whirling tenticle, continuing to hack at it. He shoved the sword in rather ungracefully one last time. The creature exploded in a mass of green pulp. "Okay..." Link said. "I was wrong... It wasn't sick before... THIS is sick." He shook off some of the green pulp.

            "It's gone," Ruto sounded astonished. "You actually beat it."

            Suddenly, they were picked up by a tremendius gust of air, and blown through the innards of Lord Jabu-Jabu. In the next moment, they were sailing through the air, away from the exhailing mouth of Lord Jabu-Jabu. With one big splash, they came down in the underground lake.

            Being fishy, Ruto was the first to get her head up. She pulled Link up with her.

            A very large fish man surfaced right next to Ruto. "Princess Ruto! You're safe!"

            "Hi, Dad," she said. "Oh... this is Link."

            King Zora, Ruto's father, turned his head and faced the head of the whale-ish Lord Jabu-Jabu. To anyone watching, it seamed Lord Jabu-Jabu was simply sitting there, idly moving his fins back and forth. Apparently that wasn't the reality of it, for King Zora turned back around and said, "Lord Jabu-Jabu says you two have broken the curse on him." The king looked right at Link. "Is there anything you desire?"

            "He wants the piece of crest," Ruto spoke up before Link did.

            "Yeah, what she said," Link said.

            King Zora turned back around and looked at Lord Jabu-Jabu. A lightning bolt danced from Lord Jabu-Jabu's head, striking Link...

            Knockin him uncontious...

 

North Castle, Hyrule (Shortly After Midnight)-

            "I still think he could have waited until I was out of the water," Link said.

            "He could have, but he didn't," the woman said.

 

Zora's Domain, Hyrule (Late Afternoon)-

            The Zoras had Link laying on his front in the dirt. One Zora was pressing on his back, forcing water out of his lungs. When Link started coughing, the Zora stopped pressing on his back.

            "Oh, *cough* what happened?" Link asked.

            "You nearly drowned, boy," King Zora said from the opposite side the other Zora was on.

            Link suddenly gasped. "What time is it?" He looked at the back of his hand. The back of his hand now had three triangles forming one big triangle. The crest of Hyrule. The crest of the royal family. "I have to get to Hyrule Castle!" Link exclaimed.

            "Not in your state," Ruto said from behind King Zora.

            "She's right," King Zora said. "You're still quite a bit shaken up."

            "I have to go," Link insisted.

            "Bathroom's right around the corner," Ruto misinturpreted Link.

            King Zora on the other hand didn't. "If you are so insistant, I will take you myself. Take my hand." Link hesitantly took Zora's hand. The king dove under water, pulling Link behind him, into an underwater warp.

 

Hyrule Castle, Hyrule (Evening)-

            "Something wrong?"

            "I thought I saw something moving."

            "Nah... just the wind blowing the grass."

            "Yeah... you're probably right."

            Thank the gods for green clothes, Link thought as he crawled through the grass. He had already been denied entrance by a big bully guard at the gate, so had snuck into the castle. He pulled himself carefully around a corner, looked back to make sure no one saw him... turned around...

            "And exactly what are you doing here?" asked an old man. "I know the guards are nasty. Speak up."

            Quickly, Link held up his hand, showing the crest on the back. "There's danger. Big danger."

            The old man nodded. "Yes. I thought so. But you have brought my only confirmation tonight." He grabbed Link's hand. "The royal family must be told before the leave here to go back home."

            "What?" Link frowned. "You mean they don't live here?"

            The old man chuckled slighly. "No. They live in North Castle, farther north from here. The sacred treasure is kept here." A gust of wind blew down the corridor, blowing out all the candles and plunging the hall into darkness. In sudden commotion, Link lost grip of the old man's hand.

            He waited for the old man to take hold of his hand again... but it didn't happen. A single lighted torch slowly advanced down the hall... something told Link that he should hide. He dove behind a tapestry as the torch came closer. It wasn't until they were practically on top of him that he saw from behind the tapestry who the people were.

            The thieves and their evil leader. The leader had the torch in one hand... and Jayce in the other. They quickly passed before Link stepped out of hidding. Someone walked up behind Link. He turned around, expecting to come face to face with one of the red haired theives... Instead... he looked up to see an inmensly marvelous blue haired woman.

            "If you value his life," the woman evidently meant Jayce, "You'll follow me. Come! Quickly!"

 

North Castle, Hyrule (Shortly After Midnight)-

            Link's eyes nearly popped out as he did a double take. "What the heck!?!"

            "You can't honestly be that surprised," the blue haired woman said.

            "Can too. Just watch."