Chapter 6
"Hey Link! Come on, I've made dinner this time" called Saria.
Link glanced at her with a smile. "I'll be right there, just a sec." He headed back to the house, ignoring the occasional stare of the other inhabitants.
It had been one year since that faithful day on Death Mountain.
Link and Saria lived at Kakariko, but actually becoming a part of the community became quite difficult for them. Link didn't understand. Coming and going, people were always friendly and helpful. However, as he tried to settle with Saria, things became different. The way the people reacted changed as they saw him regularly.
Their two fairies, Navi and Sayl, kept mostly out of sight. Even with the best spells available to them, they couldn't hide indefinitely. The people were aware of odd light sources close to the two children making them more anxious.
Navi and Sayl were able to hear what the problem was. The village suspected Link and Saria were different then ordinary Hylians, something actually quite true. Rumours full of half truths started to spread. Link learned to be careful not to mention they had come from the lost woods. Many people in the village had lost a friend or relative in the magical place, and were certain nothing but demons or lost souls resided there. Only another demon could leave that world.
Despite not telling about their origins, somehow the fact that they were from the lost woods became a public rumour. Never one to lie, Link didn't confirm or deny it. Not being a sharp talker however, he didn't know how to change the subject every time it was brought up. Still, he proved his helpfulness to the community running occasional errands. Nothing particularly exciting, but it was enough to earn a few rupees.
Saria kept a watchful eye, curious about the Hylians of Kakariko but also wary of the way they reacted to her. It was especially difficult for her to blend in and she didn't even know how to start. Most tended to avoid her. Hylian children, close to her apparent age were told by parents not to speak to her out of fear. It saddened her a little. The other children seemed so much like the Kokiri, both in look and spirit; it would have been nice to speak to them a little and have fun.
The people judged Link as a friendly extremely independent young boy. Still, they had also witnessed, some first hand that he had skills and abilities which put him on a different league then even the Royal Guards of Hyrule. At his age, they knew this had to be impossible without some magical assistance- or other secret.
The people of Kakariko were even more uncertain about Link's friend when he made some introductions. She hardly ever talked or made herself known. While they trusted Link somewhat, she was a completely different matter. Her eyes seemed too different a shade of green then they were used to. They also betrayed her child like appearance. Her green hair was too natural to be an artificial pigment, making them further uncertain as to what she really was. Other little things set her apart. She had intelligence and perception far higher then perhaps even Link. What they knew about Saria was far less then what they knew of the young boy. Consequently, rumours about her were even more outrageous.
Link pondered all this as he walked up to the house, but something had set him on edge. He looked towards the gates of Kakariko, with feelings of apprehension. Saria, also feeling this glanced.
A stray wolfos had somehow made it onto the fields and into the village. Link saw most were caught unaware by the speed of the great beast, as it lunged in confusion against the local blacksmith.
The blacksmith felt he was about to die. That is, until he felt this… assuring presence, all from this young boy. Instead of claws and teeth burying into him, he was surrounded by a blue aura shield.
Saria was also next to him, the two extremely calm as if there was no danger. To them, there wasn't.
Link had a smile at the face of the killer beast, treating it like a pet. The blacksmith, unable to take what had happened fled indoors in terror. The wolfos ignored him, centring full attention to the children. As the wolfos came close to them, it stopped suddenly. A short moment later, it ran away from the village, heading back into the woods where it came from.
The grateful people couldn't understand what just happened. Some asked what they did.
"It was just lost," said Saria simply.
Link nodded agreeing. "Yes. It knows where to go now. It won't bother us." He looked at the surprised faces, and knew they would be getting even more stares in the coming weeks. He sighed momentarily. He walked following Saria, back to their 'home.'
And so, the rumors started with new fuel in the fire.
*****
"Did you see what that kid did?"
"Talking to a wolfos, I wonder what other surprises they have."
"I saw a light or something, Could that have been magic?"
"Forget that! What about the girl? Just who is she?"
"Link and Saria. Does it really matter? They saved him!"
"They must have the magic in them. It's the only explanation. At least their on our side"
******
After the incident with the wolfos, the village started to accept them as rather young mages of some sort. They were used to old hedge witches, using herbs usually to bring out magic. However, Link and Saria had a certain refinement and innocence with the magic they possessed. On certain days, they heard music from their house, beautiful and alluring. People said hearing their music lifted their souls in the darkest of times. One claimed it healed the old injury he felt in his leg from an accident. Once again, it was hard to separate fact and fiction.
Amber was their only trustworthy friend to them and even tried to learn their music too, playing a simple flute. Unfortunately, she didn't understand the simple nuances surrounding the music that made it magical. It turned out Amber was also a little bit of an outsider, since her father was the windmill operator.
Ambers father had improved over the year. The insanity within him seemed to have dissipated. However, Just as Amber had a certain affinity with mask magic, her father also had a strange affinity for the magic of music.
Accidentally, he had touched on music that had magical properties, but he did not understand anything on how to make it work properly. Still, he pursued it like a drug, and created the song of storms on his own. He tried in vain to make more magical music. Emotions such as desperation and fear began to cloud his mind as he played, dark emotions made real by the music. His senses were not in tune with the notes, something that is vital to use it. Each empowered note weaved though his mind like a knife, cutting memory and personality with it. Not even the two forest children could help him absolutely completely, but their pure music from nature did bring him closer to sanity as it stitched his mind together. They advised him never to try and experiment with music like that again; otherwise it could push him further beyond help.
Link and Saria continued as normal. They had remade the old house by themselves, making it more welcoming to them. Saria kept flowers and plants, arranged in a beautiful and artistic fashion. Link, undaunted, found wonderful plants on the edge of the forest and gave them to his friend. He didn't fear this one taboo of the woods, since he knew he had the Deku tree's protection. In a way, it was a small piece of home in their new home.
Link did not loose his wish to explore the outer boundaries of Hyrule. Every other week, he would set off with Saria, seeing with their own eyes the world before them. They would return from their expeditions, with fresh stories and insight. He had made maps of all the places he visited, selling them for a fair price. He also gave professional advice to local merchants, on potential trade routes.
As the days and months progressed, Link and Saria started to feel relaxed and carefree about the future. The terrible hardships of the past, as the Hero of Time remembered, were now over. It felt like he was waking up from a terrible dream. Everything was as it should be, he never wanted it to change. Saria, with him, gave him a greater strength then he ever thought possible.
They were happy.
**************
Gannon was excited as the time approached.
The chamber was created.
It had taken a very long time, and required many slave workers. It employed the full resources of the Dark world, including its magic and material from across the lands. Also, it was yet to be tested, but it was the first step towards Gannon's dream of conquering Hyrule.
"Are you certain this will work?" he asked. His voice echoed across the empty chamber, lit only by candles surrounding the walls.
"Yes," said the Ghost seller. As he said this, a magical blue flame appeared in the front of the room, contained in a gigantic urn. Smaller urns on the side lit, spreading illumination around the room beautifully. "The apparatus lacks power to take you into Hyrule for the moment, but we now have a dimensional gate to bring others here."
The gate itself took only a small portion of the chamber. There laid a small pedestal, only big enough for one person to stand on, surrounded by a very large pentagram. Within the pentagram itself was drawn the symbol of the Triforce. The ceiling was carved out of stone, with crevices passing to a hole in the top center. It looked like an oddly shaped flue. Instead of fire, it allowed powerful magic by-products to be released. From the outside, one could see ghostly green plumes spread into the heavens.
Gannon had continually pushed the full might of the Triforce into this one spot, anxious to rip open a hole through the sages' barrier. Each day, his rage increased every time he concentrated. Despite the Ghost seller's insistence it was working albeit very slowly, he did not notice any results.
The chamber itself was designed to amplify the power Gannondorf's attempts. Finally, after an entire year of labour, the ghost seller told him they had at last broken through.
Gannon contained a huge amount of excitement at the prospect. "If we can truly bring others here now… I can take Zelda and their entire family and hold them here forever!" A simple plan, but it was a start.
"You are thinking too far ahead, Gannon. Hyrule Castle has many defences against this sort of intrusion. It is protected by the Temple of Time for starters, not to mention their own powers and mages. This portal we have made is unstable at best. While it is stable for this end by your Triforce and my powers, it can lead to almost anywhere within Hyrule itself. It will shift at random, even with our best control."
"Then it is useless!" shouted Gannon. "If I can not even bring who I want into this world, what is the point?!"
"A very simple one, oh great Triforce keeper" he replied. "My poes can now enter Hyrule. Lacking any physical matter, this is very simple for them. They will then guide people into this world. Once enough are brought here, the two worlds will become unbalanced. You may then enter Hyrule, without any trouble."
"Are you certain?" Gannon asked, an underlying threat present in his tone. The seller did try to explain the balance between the spirits of the two worlds, but he could not understand all of it. He summarised that if enough souls were brought to this side, a void would be created in Hyrule and would allow them to leave freely.
"Watch and learn my lord." The ghost seller took out a jar, bringing out a miniature ghost.
The wisp of smoke was about the size of a fairy. Two small eyes formed, as it waited for its orders.
"Seek one of the children, and bring him or her here" the Ghost seller ordered.
The ghost floated on the pedestal, and with a slight spark of energy, vanished.
"Children?" said Gannon uncertain.
"They have the strongest life force of all… Besides, best to start small… is it not?"
"Hmmm." The great King did not want to argue the point. "What now?"
The red eye blaze lightly. "Now… we wait."
"You are an even bigger fool then I thought," scoffed Gannon. "No one would even listen, much less follow a ghost such as that."
"You listened to me remember, your lordship?" answered the ghost seller matter of flatly.
"We have an arrangement. Nothing more."
"As you wish. Just wait and see… we will get our first guests very soon…"
Gannon mused that this ally was going to be difficult to deal with. Still, he did have powers he never even thought existed. He was still not completely certain as to his motives for aiding him. It didn't matter really. Those Hylians will worship his as a god, just as these subjects do.
His star will shine across the lands, and it will be guarded jealously against all that may topple him.
To Be Continued….
"Hey Link! Come on, I've made dinner this time" called Saria.
Link glanced at her with a smile. "I'll be right there, just a sec." He headed back to the house, ignoring the occasional stare of the other inhabitants.
It had been one year since that faithful day on Death Mountain.
Link and Saria lived at Kakariko, but actually becoming a part of the community became quite difficult for them. Link didn't understand. Coming and going, people were always friendly and helpful. However, as he tried to settle with Saria, things became different. The way the people reacted changed as they saw him regularly.
Their two fairies, Navi and Sayl, kept mostly out of sight. Even with the best spells available to them, they couldn't hide indefinitely. The people were aware of odd light sources close to the two children making them more anxious.
Navi and Sayl were able to hear what the problem was. The village suspected Link and Saria were different then ordinary Hylians, something actually quite true. Rumours full of half truths started to spread. Link learned to be careful not to mention they had come from the lost woods. Many people in the village had lost a friend or relative in the magical place, and were certain nothing but demons or lost souls resided there. Only another demon could leave that world.
Despite not telling about their origins, somehow the fact that they were from the lost woods became a public rumour. Never one to lie, Link didn't confirm or deny it. Not being a sharp talker however, he didn't know how to change the subject every time it was brought up. Still, he proved his helpfulness to the community running occasional errands. Nothing particularly exciting, but it was enough to earn a few rupees.
Saria kept a watchful eye, curious about the Hylians of Kakariko but also wary of the way they reacted to her. It was especially difficult for her to blend in and she didn't even know how to start. Most tended to avoid her. Hylian children, close to her apparent age were told by parents not to speak to her out of fear. It saddened her a little. The other children seemed so much like the Kokiri, both in look and spirit; it would have been nice to speak to them a little and have fun.
The people judged Link as a friendly extremely independent young boy. Still, they had also witnessed, some first hand that he had skills and abilities which put him on a different league then even the Royal Guards of Hyrule. At his age, they knew this had to be impossible without some magical assistance- or other secret.
The people of Kakariko were even more uncertain about Link's friend when he made some introductions. She hardly ever talked or made herself known. While they trusted Link somewhat, she was a completely different matter. Her eyes seemed too different a shade of green then they were used to. They also betrayed her child like appearance. Her green hair was too natural to be an artificial pigment, making them further uncertain as to what she really was. Other little things set her apart. She had intelligence and perception far higher then perhaps even Link. What they knew about Saria was far less then what they knew of the young boy. Consequently, rumours about her were even more outrageous.
Link pondered all this as he walked up to the house, but something had set him on edge. He looked towards the gates of Kakariko, with feelings of apprehension. Saria, also feeling this glanced.
A stray wolfos had somehow made it onto the fields and into the village. Link saw most were caught unaware by the speed of the great beast, as it lunged in confusion against the local blacksmith.
The blacksmith felt he was about to die. That is, until he felt this… assuring presence, all from this young boy. Instead of claws and teeth burying into him, he was surrounded by a blue aura shield.
Saria was also next to him, the two extremely calm as if there was no danger. To them, there wasn't.
Link had a smile at the face of the killer beast, treating it like a pet. The blacksmith, unable to take what had happened fled indoors in terror. The wolfos ignored him, centring full attention to the children. As the wolfos came close to them, it stopped suddenly. A short moment later, it ran away from the village, heading back into the woods where it came from.
The grateful people couldn't understand what just happened. Some asked what they did.
"It was just lost," said Saria simply.
Link nodded agreeing. "Yes. It knows where to go now. It won't bother us." He looked at the surprised faces, and knew they would be getting even more stares in the coming weeks. He sighed momentarily. He walked following Saria, back to their 'home.'
And so, the rumors started with new fuel in the fire.
*****
"Did you see what that kid did?"
"Talking to a wolfos, I wonder what other surprises they have."
"I saw a light or something, Could that have been magic?"
"Forget that! What about the girl? Just who is she?"
"Link and Saria. Does it really matter? They saved him!"
"They must have the magic in them. It's the only explanation. At least their on our side"
******
After the incident with the wolfos, the village started to accept them as rather young mages of some sort. They were used to old hedge witches, using herbs usually to bring out magic. However, Link and Saria had a certain refinement and innocence with the magic they possessed. On certain days, they heard music from their house, beautiful and alluring. People said hearing their music lifted their souls in the darkest of times. One claimed it healed the old injury he felt in his leg from an accident. Once again, it was hard to separate fact and fiction.
Amber was their only trustworthy friend to them and even tried to learn their music too, playing a simple flute. Unfortunately, she didn't understand the simple nuances surrounding the music that made it magical. It turned out Amber was also a little bit of an outsider, since her father was the windmill operator.
Ambers father had improved over the year. The insanity within him seemed to have dissipated. However, Just as Amber had a certain affinity with mask magic, her father also had a strange affinity for the magic of music.
Accidentally, he had touched on music that had magical properties, but he did not understand anything on how to make it work properly. Still, he pursued it like a drug, and created the song of storms on his own. He tried in vain to make more magical music. Emotions such as desperation and fear began to cloud his mind as he played, dark emotions made real by the music. His senses were not in tune with the notes, something that is vital to use it. Each empowered note weaved though his mind like a knife, cutting memory and personality with it. Not even the two forest children could help him absolutely completely, but their pure music from nature did bring him closer to sanity as it stitched his mind together. They advised him never to try and experiment with music like that again; otherwise it could push him further beyond help.
Link and Saria continued as normal. They had remade the old house by themselves, making it more welcoming to them. Saria kept flowers and plants, arranged in a beautiful and artistic fashion. Link, undaunted, found wonderful plants on the edge of the forest and gave them to his friend. He didn't fear this one taboo of the woods, since he knew he had the Deku tree's protection. In a way, it was a small piece of home in their new home.
Link did not loose his wish to explore the outer boundaries of Hyrule. Every other week, he would set off with Saria, seeing with their own eyes the world before them. They would return from their expeditions, with fresh stories and insight. He had made maps of all the places he visited, selling them for a fair price. He also gave professional advice to local merchants, on potential trade routes.
As the days and months progressed, Link and Saria started to feel relaxed and carefree about the future. The terrible hardships of the past, as the Hero of Time remembered, were now over. It felt like he was waking up from a terrible dream. Everything was as it should be, he never wanted it to change. Saria, with him, gave him a greater strength then he ever thought possible.
They were happy.
**************
Gannon was excited as the time approached.
The chamber was created.
It had taken a very long time, and required many slave workers. It employed the full resources of the Dark world, including its magic and material from across the lands. Also, it was yet to be tested, but it was the first step towards Gannon's dream of conquering Hyrule.
"Are you certain this will work?" he asked. His voice echoed across the empty chamber, lit only by candles surrounding the walls.
"Yes," said the Ghost seller. As he said this, a magical blue flame appeared in the front of the room, contained in a gigantic urn. Smaller urns on the side lit, spreading illumination around the room beautifully. "The apparatus lacks power to take you into Hyrule for the moment, but we now have a dimensional gate to bring others here."
The gate itself took only a small portion of the chamber. There laid a small pedestal, only big enough for one person to stand on, surrounded by a very large pentagram. Within the pentagram itself was drawn the symbol of the Triforce. The ceiling was carved out of stone, with crevices passing to a hole in the top center. It looked like an oddly shaped flue. Instead of fire, it allowed powerful magic by-products to be released. From the outside, one could see ghostly green plumes spread into the heavens.
Gannon had continually pushed the full might of the Triforce into this one spot, anxious to rip open a hole through the sages' barrier. Each day, his rage increased every time he concentrated. Despite the Ghost seller's insistence it was working albeit very slowly, he did not notice any results.
The chamber itself was designed to amplify the power Gannondorf's attempts. Finally, after an entire year of labour, the ghost seller told him they had at last broken through.
Gannon contained a huge amount of excitement at the prospect. "If we can truly bring others here now… I can take Zelda and their entire family and hold them here forever!" A simple plan, but it was a start.
"You are thinking too far ahead, Gannon. Hyrule Castle has many defences against this sort of intrusion. It is protected by the Temple of Time for starters, not to mention their own powers and mages. This portal we have made is unstable at best. While it is stable for this end by your Triforce and my powers, it can lead to almost anywhere within Hyrule itself. It will shift at random, even with our best control."
"Then it is useless!" shouted Gannon. "If I can not even bring who I want into this world, what is the point?!"
"A very simple one, oh great Triforce keeper" he replied. "My poes can now enter Hyrule. Lacking any physical matter, this is very simple for them. They will then guide people into this world. Once enough are brought here, the two worlds will become unbalanced. You may then enter Hyrule, without any trouble."
"Are you certain?" Gannon asked, an underlying threat present in his tone. The seller did try to explain the balance between the spirits of the two worlds, but he could not understand all of it. He summarised that if enough souls were brought to this side, a void would be created in Hyrule and would allow them to leave freely.
"Watch and learn my lord." The ghost seller took out a jar, bringing out a miniature ghost.
The wisp of smoke was about the size of a fairy. Two small eyes formed, as it waited for its orders.
"Seek one of the children, and bring him or her here" the Ghost seller ordered.
The ghost floated on the pedestal, and with a slight spark of energy, vanished.
"Children?" said Gannon uncertain.
"They have the strongest life force of all… Besides, best to start small… is it not?"
"Hmmm." The great King did not want to argue the point. "What now?"
The red eye blaze lightly. "Now… we wait."
"You are an even bigger fool then I thought," scoffed Gannon. "No one would even listen, much less follow a ghost such as that."
"You listened to me remember, your lordship?" answered the ghost seller matter of flatly.
"We have an arrangement. Nothing more."
"As you wish. Just wait and see… we will get our first guests very soon…"
Gannon mused that this ally was going to be difficult to deal with. Still, he did have powers he never even thought existed. He was still not completely certain as to his motives for aiding him. It didn't matter really. Those Hylians will worship his as a god, just as these subjects do.
His star will shine across the lands, and it will be guarded jealously against all that may topple him.
To Be Continued….