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Link, a goat herder, animal wrangler and keen friend of the forest, deep in thought, sat next to his friend Rusl in front of the beautiful spring, enjoying the serene view of the Ordon woods. Link was a handsome boy with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. He was snapped out of his thoughts as Rusl spoke. "Tell me Link," He began. "Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?" Link thought for a moment. "Well... now that you mention it," He replied. "I do kind of feel something at that time. Not really an actual sadness... but.... sort of a strange melancholy feeling. And... I'm not sure why." Rusl nodded. "They say that that is the only time our world intersects with another. The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits that have left this world. That's why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight." Link pondered his words. Spirits... the hours of twilight... worlds intersecting... He didn't quite understand. He seemed to be speaking in riddles. Rusl had a tendency to do that. Perhaps he knew things Link didn't. "Oh but enough talk of sadness. I have a favor to ask of you, Link." Link looked back at Rusl and listened. "I was sent by Bo to make a delivery to Hyrule Castle in two days time." Bo was the current mayor of Ordon village, and the father of his best friend since childhood, Ilia. Rusl continued, "A task given to me by the mayor himself, but, would you go in my stead?" Link was surprised. "Really?" He asked. "You'd... trust me to do that?" Rusl smiled. "Of course, my lad! Why shouldn't I?" He looked at him and suddenly remembered, "Oh, that's right, you've never been to Hyrule, have you?" Link shook his head. "Nope, afraid not. This is the only place I've ever known." "Well, Hyrule is a beautiful, vast land filled with life. In the very center of it lies Hyrule Castle and it's town. A community far bigger than this small village." Link tried to imagine such a place. "And far bigger than that, is the world beyond it. You should look upon it with your own eyes." It sounded magnificent to him. He hoped to one day do just that.
Rusl stood up. "Well it's getting late." He stated. Link looked around and realized that it really was. He couldn't believe how fast time could fly sometimes. "We should start heading home. Don't worry, I'll speak to Bo about the matter we just discussed." Link nodded in agreement. They did spend a long time gathering wood for the townsfolk, who needed it for many things. He took hold of his horse's reigns. She was a pretty chestnut mare with brown eyes. "Let's go home girl,” He said. Epona followed, carrying the bundles of kindling on her back. She was quite a strong horse, ready and willing.
Rusl locked the gate to the Ordon Gorge Bridge after they crossed it and rejoined his family that waited for him. They were his wife, Uli, already at her 8th month of pregnancy, and their 10-year-old son, Colin. He had fine blonde hair and brown eyes just like his mother. Rusl walked past his son, patting him on the head. The young boy looked back at Link admiringly, and followed his father and mother back home. Link followed behind, returning to his own home, a cozy little place in a young, healthy tree just outside of the village.
He climbed up his ladder and entered his home. Shelves here, with a few odds and ends, some knick-knacks, and a lone shelf containing his favorite books. There were a few portraits around. Pictures of him and Epona, his fellow village folk, and one picture by his beside, of him and the fair blonde haired, green eyed Ilia, whom he cared about deeply. His fireplace stood in the center of everything, with his large black pot above. He stared at it, knowing he should get some dinner ready soon. Just then, he heard the shout of Fado, the village's rancher, calling to him. Fado was a laid back, easy going down to earth type of guy with a childish side to him. He was 17, Link's age. Link looked out his window on his second floor. "Oy! There ya are!" Fado commented. "I was hopin you'd be back. Hey, you mind helpin me herd my goats for me? They ain't listenin’ to a darn thing I say!" Link nodded in agreement. "Sure thing!" He called down to him. "I guess dinner will have to wait." He said to himself as his stomach rumbled with hunger. But he ignored it. Helping Fado was more important to him right now. He did it almost every day anyway, helping Fado with work at the ranch. It was his job.
He climbed down his ladder and noticed Epona wasn't there. He figured maybe Ilia took Epona with her. "Where'd Epona go?" Fado asked. "Hurry and find Epona so you can meet me up at the ranch!" Link headed for the spring to his left. As he entered through the open gate, he noticed Ilia standing there in front of Epona, gently stroking her face, murmuring softly to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Ilia noticed Link, and looked towards him. "Oh, Hi Link!" She greeted. "I washed Epona for you. She was looking kind of dirty from the work she did today, so I figured she could use a bath before her journey to Hyrule Castle." She found out already? "So Rusl talked to your dad already? That was fast." “Well, you know Rusl." Ilia replied. "He's very prompt." As Link looked at Epona, she seemed so calm and at peace. "Hey Epona." He greeted her. Epona whickered in reply. “Hey, Link…” Ilia began. “You know that song you say Epona’s grown to like? The one you made up before?” Link nodded. “Could you play it for me?” She asked. “I tried to play it the way you do, but I just can’t seem to do it as good as you.” “Oh it’s simple!” Link said. He picked up a tall, oddly-shaped plant that was nearby. “It goes like this.” He blew into the reed, playing Epona’s favorite song. She whinnied happily. “That’s it!” Ilia said. “Oh she looks so happy!”
Link smiled, then approached Epona, then murmured softly to her. “I'm sorry girl, I know you've been working all day, but are you up for just one more thing?" Epona nuzzled him in affection, almost as if she was answering him. "I'll do anything you ask me to, master!" was what she seemed to be saying. Link smiled. He knew she was just a horse, but somehow, they had such a strong bond. They could somehow understand each other. "Good girl." Link started to mount Epona. "Link?" Ilia asked curiously. "Sorry Ilia, but Fado really needs my help at his ranch right now. He's having some trouble. I'm not trying to overwork her, I promise." Ilia sighed. It seemed as though Link was always overworking her, pushing her too hard. Maybe she was just overreacting. But she cared about Epona as much as Link did. She was just trying to protect her. After all, she was her mother's horse. But currently her and Link sort of shared her. Link mounted Epona and headed off into the village to his right.
A sight he knew all too well. A big, lush area of the woods with a few cozy houses, and a nice little creek in the middle of the village, being run by Jaggle and Pergie's water wheel. Jaggle and Pergie were the parents of young Malo and Talo, two village kids that looked down on young Colin and picked on him constantly. Link saw some of his village folk standing outside by the creek. Another family was there. Sera, a large, somewhat tall woman (much taller than her husband, at least), and the owner of a shop in the village, was standing with her husband Hanch. He was a small, dejected looking man, who helped run his wife's shop. And their daughter Beth, a pretty young redhead with her mother's looks, was also with them. "Oh good evening Link!" Sera greeted him. "Hey Sera." Link responded. "Heading off to put the livestock in for the night? I'm just closing up shop here myself. Can't trust this no good husband of mine to do anything right." Link thought her words were a bit harsh. Then again, she always had been harsh to him. Clearly, she wore the pants in the relationship. "Come on dad, can't you catch one silly little monkey?" Beth asked her father. "Well... no... no I can't". Hanch answered sadly. He never was very self confident. Beth shook her head and looked at her mother, who nodded in agreement. "Well I better get going before the sun completely goes down. Have a good night you guys." "You too my dear" Sera replied. As Link rode further on, He saw Rusl, Uli, and Colin standing together. Link noticed Rusl was getting some sword practice in. He was about to ride up and talk with them, but he remembered he had to help Fado. He continued further on and up the hill to the ranch, hearing something about fishing from Rusl.
As he rode through the gates of the ranch, he noticed Fado struggling with his goats, trying to coax them into the barn. But every time he tried, they all just shied away. Link approached Fado. "I see what you mean." He said. "Yeah, sorry to get you over here in such a hurry, Link. It's just that the goats have been awful skittish lately. They just won't listen to me." "It's no problem, I understand." Link answered. "Leave these goats to me." "Thanks, bud!" Fado ran to the entrance to the barn, prepared to coax then into their stalls the second they ran into the barn. Link urged Epona to run, and began chasing the goats to the direction of the barn. It was rather difficult, since they kept running in different directions, but he finally managed to chase one in, with Fado ready to urge them all into their stalls. He repeated the process with the other nine. When they were finally done, it was already nightfall. Fado walked out of the barn with a bruise on his head. One of the goats must have fought back. "You alright Fado?" Link asked. "Yeah, nothin serious." Fado answered. "Thanks though, for all your help bud. I probably couldn’t have done it without ya tonight. I might be able to handle things from now on, since they know I got backup if they act up." He chuckled. "Well you know I'm always happy to help you Fado." He replied. Link's stomach growled loudly, and he was certain Fado could hear it. And judging by his amused expression, he knew he could. "Heh, well I better get going. See you tomorrow Fado." He knew he was going have a later dinner than usual, but it was ok.
Link got up late the next morning. He sat up and looked out of the window by his bed. He noticed some of the village kids were outside. Beth, Malo, and Talo were hanging out by his house. Beth looked up at Link when she noticed he was there. "Wow, you're finally up?" She called. "You must have been up late!" Yeah, sure was, he thought.
After breakfast, he headed out to see what the kids were up to. "Hey guys, what's new?" "Hey Link!" Talo began. "Did you know the village's store has a slingshot now?!" "Yeah, that's awesome." Malo joined. "I gotta try it out!" Beth rolled her eyes. "Look, if you guys want one so bad why don't you buy it?" "Are you kidding me?" Malo retorted. "Our allowance is pathetic! Can't you let us borrow it Beth?" "You know I'd get it trouble for that! If you guys want it you're going to have to save up for it!" "Ugh, sometimes I wish I was born into a richer family like yours instead of one with a waterwheel! Let's trade families." Malo said. "Knock it off!" Beth scolded. "Don't say things like that." "Hey didn't you have something you gave to Colin's dad?" Talo asked Link. "Yeah, what was that? I demand to know!" Malo exclaimed. "Oh, it was just my wooden sword I use to practice with." Link answered. "I asked him to rehone it for me." "You have a wooden sword?! You gotta show us some moves Link! Show us when you get it back!" Link nodded. "Ok, but only if you take it seriously. It may be a play sword, but the real things aren't toys. They're for protection." "Yeah, yeah we heard it before, we know." Talo responded. "Ok well I'm going out, see you guys later." Link headed into the village, wishing Talo would take his advice more seriously. Link took out his childhood wallet he had since he was a kid. It was a wallet his parents gave him years ago before they passed on. Since then Link lived alone in that same house and took care of it. He opened his wallet. 200 rupees. Oh! So he had more than enough. He was going to buy the slingshot for Malo and Talo.
He headed into the village and entered Sera's shop. She stood behind the counter, stroking her cat, Sonny. "Oh hello dear!" She said cheerfully. "Doing a little shopping today?" "Hi Sera. How much is that slingshot?" "Oh, just 30 rupees. What are you doing buying a slingshot, you naughty thing?" she joked. Link laughed. "Ah, just a gift for the kids." Aww, well that's sweet of you." She commented. "Oh I hear you're going on an important errand tomorrow. Must be exciting. You're going to get to see Hyrule!" "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it." He admitted. "Well good luck dear!"
As Link left the shop, he noticed Uli sitting on a rock with her head in her hands. He decided to see if everything was ok. "Uli?" She looked up. "Oh, Link. Have you seen a cradle around? I left it here somewhere and now it's gone! It must have drifted somewhere downriver. Oh what am I going to do? I made that cradle when Colin was born, and I’ve cherished it all these years!" Link felt bad for her. She was known to be pretty scatterbrained, leaving things around everywhere, forgetting things, dropping things. That's just how she was. "Don't worry Uli, you'll find it. If I happen to see it I'll bring it to you." Uli smiled in comfort. "Thank you dear. I sure hope it turns up."
Link followed the stream downward to see if he could find it. Just then he spotted it on a small piece of land near a dead end where the stream stopped. 'There it is!" He swam downriver to the cradle to retrieve it. Just as he was about to grab it, a local grey and white monkey jumped down out of nowhere and grabbed it. "Hey!" he exclaimed. The monkey jumped up onto a ledge, too high to reach, with no vines to climb up. "Damn!" He cursed. "What a pest." Lately, these monkeys have been coming into the village, stealing things and causing a ruckus. No one knew what got into them. Link thought for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the hawk circling around in the sky. He seemed to be waiting for something. Just then he had it. He headed for another ledge with vines and climbed up. He looked around him. He saw where the monkey left the cradle, but no sign of the monkey. Good. He picked one of the grass reeds on the ledge he was standing on, and blew into the top. He played a familiar tune to call down the hawk. It must have been what he was waiting for. It swooped down onto his wrist, happy to help. "Hey Alkaios. Can you get that cradle for me over there?" Alkaios screeched as if he understood, and headed swiftly for the lone cradle off in the distance. Link watch him return and retrieved the cradle. "Thank you Alkaios."
He jumped down and returned to where Uli was sitting. "Uli! I found it!" He called as he carried the cradle with him. Uli stood and grinned. "Oh yes!" She exclaimed. "That's it! You sure know how to save the day! Oh how can I thank you?" "It's ok, you know I'm just happy to help you." "We're so lucky to have you in our lives, Link." Somehow, that actually touched him. Even though she did have a tendency to be overly dramatic. "Oh! I almost forgot! My husband made something for you. Come with me back to our place." Link followed her, wondering what else Rusl made. He followed her into their home. It was a bright, colorful home, with nice furniture, portraits on the wall, and a wooden kitchen table in the center. Their brown and white dog, Lena, was sitting on the rug, wagging her tail at Link.
Uli opened up her closet and began looking around. "Oh, no, where did I put it..." She mumbled to herself as she rummaged around the shelves. "Oh here it is." She pulled out a brand new, green painted, handcrafted fishing rod. Link gasped in surprise. "Rusl went to all that trouble to make this for me?" Uli smiled warmly. "Oh Link, I'm sure it was really no trouble at all. After all the trouble you go for us... getting that cradle, spending time with my husband.... I want to thank you for that also, for spending time with him. It gives me some time for myself once in a while." Link returned the smile. "He knows how much I love fishing too. He's pretty thoughtful." "That's one thing I love about him so much." She sighed contentedly. "Well give Rusl my thanks." Link told her. "When Colin grows up Link, I want him to be just like you." She blurted out. Link was surprised. It sort of sounded like something a child would say. "Colin is a good boy, he can just be a bit... timid." "Yeah." Link noted. She was right. He was indeed a timid boy. He allowed Talo and Malo to bully him around the way they did.
Link returned to his territory to see Rusl leaving the area. "Ah, hello there Link!" he said. "Oh hey Rusl. I just got the rod you made. Thanks a lot!" "It was no problem. We all know how much you love fishing. Oh, I just made a delivery. I finished rehoning your sword for you. I put it in your chest by your fireplace. "Thanks Rusl." Hey went over to Colin, who was hanging out with his horse, Epona. "Hey Colin." Colin turned around. "Hey Link! So you got the fishing rod from my dad? You like it?" "Yeah, it's really well crafted. And he remembered my favorite color too." He chuckled. "Hey girl." He greeted Epona. "Oh, you have a day off from work today right Link?" Colin asked. "Oh, yeah. Fado says he can handle things on his own today." "You ought to give Epona a day off today too. Poor girl." Colin was right. Epona had a pretty hard day yesterday. Gathering kindlings all day, and having to run around chasing goats until nightfall. It tired her out. "Yeah, you had quite a workout yesterday didn't you girl?" he asked. Epona gave a cheerful whicker. "Well today, you'll be takin it easy, how's that sound?" Epona nuzzled him in affection.
The rest of the village kids weren't in the area anymore, but moments later, Beth, Malo and Talo returned. "Hey guys, got a surprise for you!" Link told them. Malo and Talo both looked at him curiously. Link took out the brand new slingshot. They both gasped. "Wow, Link! You got us the slingshot?! Cool!! Can we try it out? Please?" Link laughed. "Of course, that's what I got it for after all." He handed Talo the slingshot. "YEAH!" he shouted in excitement. "Watch me hit that target in one shot!" He said over-confidently. Beth rolled her eyes. "Watch you miss, more like it." She mumbled. Talo turned around. "Oh shut up, Beth! I'll show you!" He picked a target off in the trees, looking closely. He prepared a shot and released a nut. It flew past the trees, two feet above the target. "Oh yeah, good aim, hotshot." Malo said sarcastically. "Yeah, sure showed me." Beth mocked. Malo and Beth bothed laughed. "Hmph." Talo pouted. "Well, it was his first time." Link said, defending Talo. "I'm sure with some practice. you'll be one sharp shot Talo. Don't worry." "Hey, why don't you try, Link?" Beth suggested. Talo liked this idea. He wanted to see his outcomes. He handed Link the slingshot. "Sure, why not?" He said. Link aimed for a nearby target and released his shot. It hit the target right in the center. All three of them gasped. "Oh my gosh, Link! That was right on target!" Beth squealed excitedly. "I thought you weren't interested in this stuff, Beth." Malo commented. "How about trying the other targets?" She suggested, ignoring Malo. Link aimed for the next target, hit it again. And the next. Then the next. Link didn't miss a single one. "Wow, I can't believe it!" Talo exclaimed. "How the heck did you do that?!" "You were amazing, Link!" Beth said admiringly. "Well, I don't have a clue, myself." He answered. "I just... hit them all." Sometimes he surprised even himself. “You’re a natural." Beth commented. "Heh, I guess." "Yeah he's perfect!" Talo agreed. "Oh, didn't you get your wooden sword back Link?" You gotta show us some moves! Please?" He begged. "Alright, but you need to promise to take it seriously." He stated. "You haven't really been doing that lately." Talo looked at Link's expression and saw he was serious. Obviously this meant more to him than just something fun. Maybe he really should listen to him. "I will." He promised. "Alright. I'll trust you on this one." He went and fetched his wooden sword, and their lesson began. Beth, Malo and Colin watched from the sidelines.
"Ok, now a sword isn't just something you swing around for fun. You have to know how to use it." Talo listened intently. "Now you know pretty much the basic moves, right? The slice?" Talo nodded. "Yeah, like this." He said. With that his lifted his play sword and swiftly moved it into quick horizontal and vertical slices, making sounds like "Yah!" and "Hiyah!" Link nodded. "Great, so you know both the horizontal and vertical slices. Now let me teach you something called the spin attack. This is a move you use if you're surrounded with enemies. Face forward, then separate your legs like this," He put his back leg way out behind him, Talo did the same. "Now take your sword arm, hold your sword back behind you." Talo did as instructed. "Now keep your arm completely straight, as you forcefully spin your body around". Like this." He swiftly spun around in a quick circle, so that his sword looked like a circular blur. Talo copied him. "Yeah, that's a cool move!" He commented. "It's a crucial move." Link replied. "If there's a group of enemies coming after you, you wait till they get close, and use that attack. If your timing is good enough, it could kill them all." Talo stared in awe. "Awesome." He commented. "Yeah, and very effective." Link replied. "But some enemies could be stronger than that. If you ever come across those kinds of enemies, there's other moves you can use. Such as a jump attack. It's similar to a regular stab, where you just run forward and thrust your sword straightforward into the gut of your enemy. Only you're jumping at him." Link demonstrated this move. He got into a defense stance, then thrust his sword above the belt of a practice scarecrow. "Just like that." He said. "Cool!" Talo exclaimed. He began copying the moves he learned and the moves he knew. "And you know how to dodge attacks, right?" Link asked. Talo looked up. "Oh yeah." He answered. "There's side dodges, where you jump to the side to avoid attacks, and you can also roll out of harms way, and duck, things like that." Talo nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I think I got it now." He said. "So next time one of those pesky monkeys show up..." Talo paused in mid sentence and looked past Link. He gasped. "Ah!" Link turned around to see a monkey standing there, watching. When it saw everyone was starting at it, it screeched, turned around and starting running the other way, into the forest. "Hey! Come back here, you!" Talo shouted, then began chase. Malo joined in. "Wait!" Both Beth and Link shouted in unison. Beth began to chase after Malo and Talo. "No, you guys what are you...! Ahhh, man their parents are going to have a fit." Link exclaimed. "Oh no, they aren't supposed to go into those woods!" Colin said. "I sure hope nothing happens to them." Link quickly mounted his horse and rode off into the woods, hoping to still find all three that ran off. He continued on downward past the spring and into a clearing, where he spotted Beth and Malo standing near a tree, catching their breath. Good, so Beth and Malo were safe. "Beth!" he called, as he rode up to her. "Where did Talo go?!" He exclaimed. She pointed to the fence off in the distance. "Up there... he climbed. Can't.... keep up... that boy" She said breathlessly. "Let's go, girl!" Link clicked his tongue. They both knew what to do. Epona ran faster to gain momentum. As they neared the fence, Epona gave a huge leap. They were clear! He continued riding forward, crossed the bridge, and finally made it to a very dark looking cave at the end. "Oh, no, they couldn't have gone in there, could they have?!" Further off through the pathway to the right, the local gatekeeper, Coro, was standing outside of his house, heating up some soup. Coro was a short man with curly brown hair. "Hey, Coro!" Link called. Link and the other villagers knew Coro because he came into the village from time to time to pick up things from Sera's shop. "Have you seen any kids come by here?" He asked. "Oh yeah you're looking for those kids aren't you bud? Yeah I saw them running through there into that cave." Link cursed under his breath. "Damn! I knew it!" He hoped to the gods nothing happened to them. "Here." Cora said, handing him a lantern and some oil. "It's dark in that cave. You'll need this." "Thanks. How much is it?" Link asked. "Oh no it's free!" he answered. "Go get those kids! There's been a lot of strange creatures around these parts, they could really be in danger!" With that news, Link rode off, back to the cave. When they neared the cave, Epona shied away, refusing to go in although Link had the lantern. "Ok girl, ok." He said softly. Link dismounted Epona. "You don't have to go in. Wait here alright?"
Link cautiously ventured into the dark cave, looking around him. It was damp, dirty, and filled with cobwebs and bats. One of the bats flew at his face and started screeching annoyingly. He swatted it away. "Get out of here! I'm busy." He told it. A few minutes went by, and he still didn't see an exit anywhere. "Oh man they could be anywhere." He said to himself anxiously. As he continued further on, he spotted something on the ground. As he looked closer, he saw to his dismay, it was Talo's wooden sword. "Oh, no!" He exclaimed. "I knew it! Something happened I just knew it!" He came to a conclusion that Talo was kidnapped. Link started running further on. A few more minutes went by and still no exit, but he kept going. After a while, he finally saw a bright light off in the distance. Finally, an exit! He was relieved to finally see daylight again.
He looked around to see a vast clearing with very tall trees and a tall ledge in the center. He began searching around the area. "Talo?" He called. "Talo! Are you here?" No sign of him. He couldn't shake the bad feeling that something happened. Why did they have to run after that stupid monkey? Of course, he should have predicted that outcome. They WERE Jaggle and Pergie's kids, after all.
He continued searching around the whole area until he came across a gate. "Ah, whoever took him must have gone through here." He said to himself. "And apparently locked it. Great." That much was true, for the gate had a lock on it. "And no doubt they took the key with them. Crap." To his luck, Link caught a glimpse of a small opening in the wall to the right. He decided to check it out. Maybe he could find a way in. He discovered it was just a small cave that housed a small chest at the end. Could there possibly be an extra key in there? Well, only one way to find out. He opened the small chest and, sure enough, there was a key in there! "Heh, heh, heh." He chuckled. "Well, I guess these guys aren't as smart as they thought they were."
Link ran back out of the cave and back up the gate. He quickly unlocked it and proceeded forward. A few moments later, he came across a small hill. On top of it stood a massive, old looking building that looked like some sort of temple. That's when he saw them. Talo and a local monkey trapped together in a small cage. He could hear the screeches of the monkey, trying to call for help. There were two very odd looking monkey-like thuggish looking creatures, equipped with small, pathetic looking clubs, guarding the cage. "So, these are his kidnappers. Ha, they aren't much are they." he said. "Hewwo!" said a voice to his left, just before he started to run after them. He looked to see a small blue and green myna bird, sitting on a branch of a nearby tree, watching him. "Punish the evildoers! Punish the evildoers! Squawk!" Link looked back up towards the hill. "I intend to." He replied, running up to battle. Talo looked happy to see him, but the ugly creatures didn't. They ran at each other and attacked. Link ran up and kicked one of them against the wall, rendering him unconscious. When the other attacked, it used its pathetic little club on him, jabbing him in the side. Linked winced. Those clubs were stronger than he thought. He pulled out his wooden sword and let him have it, right upside the head. Apparently he hit the creature harder than he meant to, because it didn't get back up. Neither of them did. "Wow, guess I don't know my own strength." He said in surprise. Even Talo stared in awe.
Link thought for a moment, trying to figure out a way to get them out. He thought he had an idea. "But will it work?" He said to himself. "There's only one way to find out. Okay, duck you guys!" Talo ducked, pulling the monkey down with him. Link leaned his leg back, pulled his sword behind him, and did the swift spin move. The force of the blow knocked the top of the cage right off! Talo and the monkey looked up to see the top half of the cage in pieces on the ground. And with that news, the monkey clapped happily.
Back outside of cave in Faron Woods, Link was making sure Talo was okay. "You aren't hurt are you Talo?" Talo shook his head. "Gee Link, it's a good thing you came. If you hadn't, me and that monkey would have gotten eaten, or killed, probably." "That's why you shouldn't have run off into these woods in the first place, Talo." He scolded. Talo hung his head. "Well that monkey is actually a pretty nice gal." Talo said. "She tried to protect me when those monsters came to get us." "I guess she wasn't such a pesky monkey after all" Link thought. "Listen Link, please don't tell my dad about this ok?" Talo begged. "He's been telling me not go into the woods all the time. If he ever finds out he's going to be really mad. You gotta promise not to tell!" "Talo, I can't..." But he already began running back home. "...make that promise." He shook his head. That boy... "Link!" A voice called. He looked over to see Rusl coming over to him. "Colin told me all about it. I came as soon as I heard, but it seems as though you've already got them home. I apologize Link, such a task should not fall to you." "I'm just glad I was able to find him." Link told him. "The woods feel strange." He observed. "They aren't how they used to be anymore. There's an evil presence that lurks within it." He was right. Link could feel it too. "Well at least you have proved one thing. You are more than ready to face the journey to Hyrule tomorrow. And who knows, you could meet Princess Zelda!" Rusl laughed.
Link got ready the next day for his journey. As Link rode into the village, he saw that the whole village was seeing him off. He appreciated the fact that everyone was giving him so much support. Even Ilia was there, and that meant more to him than anything. Ilia ran to Link as he was dismounting Epona. "So, this is it." She stated. "Are you nervous?" Link laughed. "Well, maybe a little. Not really sure why, I am just making a delivery after all." "Yes, but you'll get to see all of Hyrule! It's a whole other world out there, Link. Oh I'm so excited for you!" Ilia gave Link a warm hug that made Link feel strange in a wonderful way.
Yes, Hyrule. He had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing it. Yet somehow, he wished Ilia could come and see it with him. He went over to talk with Bo. The village's mayor was a large, yet muscular man. He also happened to have no hair on his head. He did have hair on his face, however. A nice little mustache, to be exact.
Ilia stood beside Epona and stroked her. "The journey before you is a long one, my sweetheart, but please bear Link safely through it." She told her.
Bo placed his arm around Link's shoulder. "Well, lad, the royal gift is ready for delivery." He told him. "This blade was hand crafted as a gift to the Hyrule royal family. A homemade gift from Ordon village. It wouldn't look good if the representative of Ordon was late. Good thing ya got Epona here, eh.?" Yes, it was a good thing indeed. "Oh, almost forgot. Rusl wanted me to give ya this." He pulled out a piece of parchment. As he looked at it, he saw that it was a map. "A map of the whole land, lad, from here all the way to the castle, and all the land around it! Ya won't lose your way with this." Link thanked Bo. It would definitely be of good use to him.
Just then, from behind them, Ilia gasped. "Wait.... what is this?" She asked. Ilia was kneeling down beside Epona, looking at a large cut on her leg. Link winced. Why didn't he see that before? She must have gotten that injury went he went to find Talo! Ilia saw the expression on Link's face and became very angry. She swiftly stood back up. "What were you thinking!" She shouted angrily. "You've been pushing her too hard again weren't you! Jumping fences, no doubt!" Link was speechless. He never saw her this angry before! His face turned red from the embarrassment of being yelled at in front of everyone. "Ilia..." he began. "Now, now Ilia, there's no need to get so hot with him." Bo said nervously. "Father!" She yelled in protest, staring at him in dismay. "How can you be so easy on him! You're the mayor! How can you stand for this?!" She took Epona's reigns and began leading her away, catching Link and Bo by surprise. "Don't worry girl." She said softly. "I'll take you to the spring and get that healed up for you in no time." Bo called out to her. "Ilia!" Wait a minute! Why, without Epona, the gift won't get delivered in time!" But Ilia just ignored him. Bo groaned. "Now what are we going to do?" He complained. "Link, see if you can't go after her and get her to give Epona back. Maybe you could talk things out. You know each other pretty well." Yes, that was true. They knew each other very well.
Link ran past Bo's house and headed for the spring. When he got to his house, he saw Malo and Talo picking on Colin again. "Way to go, Colin!" Talo said sarcastically. "Spoiling everything by telling your dad!" "Yeah, thanks to you, our parents scolded us something awful." Malo said. "We thought it would never end." Talo glared at Colin. "Bet you're trying to go see Ilia aren't you?" He asked him. "Well, there's no way I'm gonna let you pass!" Link approached Talo. "Knock it off. Leave him alone." He scolded. "Fine." He pouted, crossing his arms and looking the other way. "I know what you can do." Link suggested as he pulled out his wooden sword. "You could practice some of those moves I taught you." He handed Talo his sword, and the boy beamed with joy. "Wow, you're really gonna let me borrow your sword?" "Sure, why not?" He replied. Talo shouted in excitement, and ran off to do his hotshot moves.
"Thanks for that Link." Colin said. "Those guys are always teasing me. See? Look at that." He said, referring to Talo, who was happily swinging away at Link's wooden sword. "I don't get how it's so fun to swing something like that around. I hate it. It's scary." Link sighed. He hoped one day Colin would learn to be less timid, just like his mother said. "But you're not like that Link, you're responsible. And you're good with a lot of things. When I grow up, I'm going to be just like you! I don't really want to use a sword, but can you teach me to ride one of these days?" Link smiled. "Of course I will." He agreed. Colin beamed. "Let's go see Ilia!" He turned around and headed for the spring. Link stood there for a while. Link grew quite fond of Colin. He may have been timid, but he was a really sweet boy. And he still cared about people, although they had constantly bullied him.
Link tore himself away from his thoughts. He had to get Ilia to give Epona back! He had a delivery to make. He headed for the spring, only to find that Ilia had locked the gate. She must have let Colin in, and then locked the gate quickly afterwards. Link sighed. He knew this was partly his fault. He was so focused on getting Talo, he didn't notice when Epona was injured. "Ilia." He called. Ilia turned around and glared at him. "If you came to take Epona back, you can just forget it!" She said coldly. "Ilia, please, open the gate." Link begged. "No!" she replied. "Not until you change your attitude." "I just need to talk to you, Ilia." He said softly. "Please open the gate." Ilia loudly sighed and reluctantly opened the gate. Link went over to Ilia's side. "Look, I'm sorry Ilia. I realize the injury was there until you pointed it out." "You didn't realize because you don't care!" She shot back. "You're too busy pushing her for your own selfish desires!" Link was appalled and angered by her words. He didn't care?! Didn't she know him better than that?! "How can you say that Ilia!" He shouted. "I care about her as much as you do!" Ilia icily pointed to Epona's leg. "That's why she has that big cut on her leg isn't it!" She shouted back. Link was once again speechless. Ilia stared at him for a while, tears forming in her eyes. "Epona was my mother's horse. She's the only thing I have left of her, Link." She half-whispered. "Why can't you see how much that means to me?"
llia's mother passed away years ago, when she was just a child. Apparently, she hadn't gotten over that. Link didn't blame her. Her mother was a wonderful person. She was beautiful, generous, caring, spunky and headstrong. Link saw that in Ilia every time he looked at her, and every time they talked. He was the one who was there for her when her mother died. Yet he could still see her mother in her. And somehow, he loved it.
Link placed his hands in hers and looked into her eyes. "I do, Ilia, believe me." He said sincerely. "I know I should have paid more attention, and I'm sorry. But look, you don't know what happened yesterday. There was.... an incident yesterday." Ilia looked at him curiously. 'What do you mean?" She asked. 'Well, Jaggle and Pergie's kids ran off into the woods, and I went after them." "Into the woods?" She said cluelessly. "And you know I'm not trying to be a hotshot. I just didn't want anything to happen to them. But.... it ended up happening anyway."
So Link thoroughly explained the details of how Talo ended up getting kidnapped, and how he looked all over for him. Ilia listened intently. She felt horrible. She had it so wrong! "I had no idea..." She said. "I heard rumors of Talo's capture, but I knew nothing about the details of it. Oh I'm so sorry for doubting you, Link. I didn't mean those things I said." Epona strode over to Link and nuzzled him affectionately. Ilia sighed. "Still prefer Link over me, huh girl?" She asked. She turned back to Link. "Well, it looks like the injury isn't too serious, so you two can go on together. But Link, just promise me this..." She started. "Don't try to do anything.... out of your league, please?" Link stared at her. "Just come home safely. "She gave him a warm smile and placed her hands in his. Link looked into her eyes, and suddenly his heart raced. Suddenly, he felt as though he was floating off of the ground. "Ilia.." They stared at each other for a moment. They each slowly leaned forward. At that point, they didn't really care that anyone else was there.
Suddenly they were snapped out of their trance as they heard a loud rumbling. They quickly looked up towards the gate. The rumbling was getting louder and closer. The gate burst open and flew into the air as several gigantic, ugly horned beasts came barging their way in.. The giant pigs carried ugly green creatures on their backs, who were commanding them. Epona whinnied in fright and bolted. Ilia and Colin screamed and turned to run, but one of the creatures on the back of a wild pig, released an arrow through Ilia's back, stopping her in her tracks and causing her to fall to the ground. Link's heart dropped down to his stomach. "ILIA!!! He screamed. Before he knew it, he was whacked hard on the back of the head with a club. Everything turned black, and he lost all consciousness. With that, the creatures departed, taking an unconscious Colin and Ilia with them.
Another creature rode into the spring. He was far larger than the others, just as ugly, and had horns just like the creature he was riding. He looked at Link lying unconscious in the middle of the spring, and grinned evilly. He pulled out a huge, curved, oddly shaped horn and blew into it. The sound of the horn echoed across the skies. Birds flew out of the trees they were perched in. The creature blew into it once more, and rode off, leaving Link lying there.
Something strange appeared in the sky, it was some sort of glowing red portal. Several dark shadowy, black masked beasts fell out of it, and began heading for the direction the creature rode off to, ignoring the unconscious boy lying in the shallow water. The strange portal in the sky slowly dissolved.
Link regained consciousness moments later, rubbing the back if his head. That's when it hit him. He remembered his horrible experience. "Colin... Ilia!" He got up and began blindly running towards the bridge. He continued across it. As he neared, he gasped. In front of it was a tall, black wall with strange blue markings on it. "Wha... how..." While he was trying to figure out how in the world the wall got there, a long, skinny black arm reached out from the wall. Before he could even react, the arm grabbed him and yanked him right through the wall! Link screamed.
The Faron woods totally changed. It wasn't a sunny, peaceful place anymore. The sky was darkened, with strange, bright yellow clouds floating. The air was filled with strange, black particles floating upward.
Link saw what got a hold of him. A large, masked beast. It was a foul hunchbacked creature, with a strange black mask with red markings all over its body. "Ungh... what are you?!" He demanded. "Let.... go!" Link struggled to get away from the ugly thing. But he couldn't get out of its grasp! It stared at him menacingly as it slowly reached out. It was going to do something, Link just had no clue what it was. Suddenly, the small triangular mark he had on the back of his hand since birth, began to glow very brightly. The flashing light irritated the eyes of the beast. Startled by the light, the beast screeched, and threw Link down.
Link kneeled on his hands and knees as his heart began to beat slower. It pounded. Louder. And harder. It felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. A shooting pain shot through his body, causing him to scream in pain. His vision became blurrier. "What's... happening?!" He said to himself. He became dizzy. It was harder to breathe. What in the world was happening? His heart continued pounding, and the pain surging through his body grew worse. It felt almost like he was on fire, only inside him. The beast still stood there, waiting.
His body slowly started changing shape and he screamed in pain again. Finally, Link was no longer human. He was now in the form of a grey, thick coated, blue-eyed wolf. All Link could remember was his screams turning into howls, then he blacked out. The evil shadow creature grabbed Link and dragged him away. Off in the distance, a small, masked imp like creature floated beside a tree, watching the whole thing. A large, mischievous grin spread across her face.
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