Chapter 24: Curtain of Blue Shadows

“Hey, Mido! Mido!”

The Kokiri bully stopped and, with an irritated look on his face, turned to face his fairy Dakt hovering over his shoulder. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Dakt answered. “I’m just wondering why you’re in such a bad mood today. You’ve been acting like a complete gruff all morning, and I thought it would wear off by the afternoon. But it’s nearly evening, and you still look like someone’s knocked you to the ground and mocked you in the process.”

Mido stared heated at his fairy for a moment before uttering, “Leave me alone, you little insect.” He then turned to storm away.

But Dakt quickly fluttered in front of his charged Kokiri’s face. “Hey! Don’t you talk to me like that! I’m your fairy, and I have a job to do! Now tell me what’s going on…”

“A job to do?” Mido asked cynically. “A job to do? You idiot, your job died with the Great Deku Tree! All you’re doing is staying with me out of respect for him. You call that a job? Now leave me alone before I pluck your wings from your spiny little body and use them to pick my teeth!”

Dakt’s light began to flicker uncontrollably. “What…? How dare you…! How could say something like that? I’ve been with you since the beginning of your existence, and you threaten to take my wings and use them to clean your disgusting teeth? I thought I meant more to you than that…”

“Hey, listen!” Mido’s face was now growing red and the pupils in his eyes were dilating to unimaginable proportions. “I am not in the mood to talk about our silly friendship right now! In fact, I think our friendship had just reached its end. And do you know why? Because the mere sight of you sickens me! You are nothing but an annoying pest these days; I just wish I could take you and shove you down a fox burrow where your ugly mug could remain hidden from the rest of the world!”

Dakt, unable to believe what he was hearing, tried to say something but Mido wouldn’t allow him. “And if you think I’m going to apologize for what I’ve just said, you can’t be more wrong! Everything I’ve said is true! You hear me? True! So now that you know how I feel about you, why don’t you just fly away and cry in some tree somewhere? Or better yet, why don’t you go tell the Great Deku Tree…oh, wait, that’s right! He’s dead! So now what are you going to do? Spit it out!”

Mido’s words were so forceful and so harsh that Dakt couldn’t do anything but hover for several moments. When he finally did move, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just turned around and started to fly away into the sky. Mido, who was still red in the face, yelled at him.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going? Come back here, you little pest! I haven’t finished with you yet! Come back here right now or I’ll crush your wings and use them to fertilize my garden!”

But Dakt didn’t hear him; either that, or he refused to heed Mido’s threats. The fairy simply continued to fly higher and higher until he was lost amidst the blueness of the sky. Mido maintained his screaming fit for a while after Dakt disappeared until he finally lost interest and strength to continue doing so.

But he hadn’t lost his moodiness, the exact same moodiness Dakt had asked about. He had fallen into this temper because of a name he had once thought he’d never hear again: Link. And even worse, the name was associated with the person he truly and deeply loved: Saria.

It had been two days since Saria had snapped out of her depressing fit. It had been some kind of miracle: just like that, Saria had left her home feeling happy and full of life, as if her melancholy had been nothing more than a dream. But Mido couldn’t forget the cold stare she had given him when he had tried to see her that day, so he knew it was no dream. Still, when Saria had returned to her old self, he believed he could once again pursue her heart.

But then came yesterday…more specifically, yesterday evening. He remembered it clearly: Mido was looking for Saria so he could talk to her, but he couldn’t seem to find her in any of her usual favorite places. When he did find her, she found him sitting in a tree, sighing to herself dreamily. She was so entranced by something that she didn’t notice him. So Mido decided to creep up to the base of the tree so he could surprise her with his presence. That was when he heard Saria say that dreaded name:

“Oh, Link, I’m so glad you’re safe. And once you’re home, everything will back the way it was. Hurry home, Link. Hurry home. I can’t wait to see you again.”

Mido had long thought Link was dead, since any Kokiri who left the Lost Woods died…not that Mido admitted Link was a Kokiri. Still, Mido had believed Link to be out of his life forever, leaving Saria all to himself. But when he had heard Saria speak about Link returning, he thought it was a cruel joke being played upon him. Was Saria right? Was Link coming back? If he was, then he was going to take Saria’s affection away from him again.

He had gone to bed with an amazed and confused mind, and had awoken this morning with a grumpy disposition. That temperament had only grown as the day had worn on, and now Dakt’s nosiness had escalated it to a breaking point.

“Link!” he screamed at the top of his lungs in a rage. “Why can’t you just die? Why can’t you just stay out of my life? Why…?”

“Mido, that’s enough!”

“No! Please, no!”

But Mido’s silent plea was unheard when he turned around to the familiar voice behind him. There, standing with her hands on her hips and her face tightened with a demand for an explanation, was Saria. She didn’t look too pleased with Mido, and the Kokiri bully immediately felt his face go coldly pale.

“S…S…Saria…” he stuttered uncomfortable before Saria interrupted.

“And I suppose you can come up with an explanation after what you’ve done? First you chewed out Dakt, your own fairy, and now you want my friend Link to die?”

Mido couldn’t say anything in response, prompting Saria to continue.

“I can forgive you for what you said about Link, because I know you never liked him in the first place. But what you did to Dakt is unacceptable. Saying such things to a fairy, especially your own fairy, goes against everything we Kokiri were raised to believe in.”

Saria’s fairy, Katl, then jumped in. “I agree. Dakt can be just as much of a bully as you, but he has feelings like everyone else. Even he doesn’t deserve such a lashing. And I don’t even know if he’ll come back after what you said.”

“What?” Mido cried, as if for the first time realizing that idea. “How can you say that? Dakt will come back. He’s my best friend…”

“Think about it, Mido!” Saria yelled angrily. “You practically threatened him, and you said yourself that your friendship was over. I don’t know about you, but if you ever said something like that to me, I’d believe you. And do you know why? Because that’s just the kind of person you are.

“Look at yourself. You’re nothing but a bully who’s destroying himself with his own temper. I know I’ve called you a bully before, but this time I hope you’ll listen to me, because this time you’ve done something that proves it: you’ve lost your fairy, your supposed ‘best friend.’ ”

 Saria softened her expression a little, but not her tone of voice. “And I hope you’re happy, Mido, because now that you no longer have a fairy, you’re no longer a Kokiri.”

Mido’s head jerked in shock and disbelief. “What? No…”

“Afraid so, Mido. A Kokiri needs a fairy, and now that you don’t have one, you’re not a Kokiri anymore.”

“No!” Mido fell to his knees but kept his eyes affixed upon Saria. “No, that’s a lie! It’s not true! I am still a Kokiri! You know I’m a Kokiri! Even without a fairy, I’m still a Kokiri…”

“And I suppose you thought Link was a Kokiri when he didn’t have a fairy.”

That unsettling statement sent a chill down Mido’s spine, despite the fact the sun was still visible in the evening sky. His skin turned pale, and his face even paler. He felt his strength drain from his muscles, and he found it difficult to breathe. He tried to tell himself that Saria was lying, but he knew she’d never lie. He could even see the sad truth behind his hypocrisies and contradictions.

Saria realized that he understood, and she continued, “Now that you finally know who and what you are, Mido, I hope you’ll understand just what you’ve done, not only to Link, the other Kokiri and Dakt, but to yourself. It’s a hard lesson, I know, but it’s one you should’ve learned a long time ago.”

Her voice then softened as well. “I’m going to leave you now so you can reflect upon what you’ve done. When you’re ready, come by my house and we’ll talk. Goodbye, Mido.”

With those words, Saria turned around and left, with Katl not too far behind.

Mido, now all alone in the middle of a field outside Kokiri Village, buried his head in the ground and started to cry his eyes out. All he managed to mumble through his bawling were two words:

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”

To whom he was uttering those words – Link, Dakt, Saria, or himself – only he knew…

********************

“For the love of the Three Goddesses, Link, how much farther?”

“For the last time, Navi, I don’t know!”

Navi was starting to get so impatient that Link wondered how he managed to put up with her at all. The two of them had been traveling for two days straight since the day after they had left Lon Lon Ranch, and over an entire day following water. They had found the offshoot of the Zora River the morning after Link had spoken to Saria, and Navi had suggested they go westward to find the town Talon had mentioned.

Link, naturally, decided to go against the flow – literally! – and head eastward so they could find Zora’s Domain, along with the third and final Spiritual Stone.

Through either bad luck or destiny, they hadn’t encountered a town on their way upstream. Navi had tried to remain patient, but she had started to complain soon after the pair had found the place where the offshoot joined with the actual river. The actual Zora River was a magnificent wonder – it was enormous in breadth and flowed with a crystal-colored surface that shone with a mirror’s clarity; in fact, there didn’t appear to be a single piece of debris on or in the river – but Navi had unwittingly decided to do everything in her power to make sure Link didn’t enjoy any of it.

By the time evening was setting in on the second day after Link had talked to Saria, Navi’s complaining had spiraled out of control.

“Well, you should know. You’re the one who wanted to go on this journey in the first place. We might’ve discovered how long it would take to find the river’s origin if he had stopped in that village downriver Talon told us about, but no. You had to be the brave warrior who decided to get himself lost because he wouldn’t stop for directions…”

“Navi, shut up!” Link cried out. “We’re not lost! All we have to do is follow the river upstream and we’ll find Zora’s Domain! It’s that simple! Now why don’t you just quit whining and…?”

“I’ll quit whining when I feel like it!” the fey asserted. “Unless you tell me how long it’s going to take for us to find this place, I’m going to keep on whining! I have a right to whine, okay?”

“And I have a right to wring your little neck if you don’t shut up, okay?”

Navi hesitated when Link said that. “You wouldn’t…would you?”

Link smiled wickedly and twitched his fingers in the air. “Try me. Just try me.”

That did it. Navi knew Link was only playing with her, but the look in his eyes told her he had had enough of her bickering. “All right, you win…for now. I’ll shut up for the rest of the day, but tomorrow I’ll continue again.”

With that, Navi disappeared under Link’s hat, mumbling loudly, “Personally, I think it’s ridiculous that we’re still on this insane quest. We should be back in the Lost Woods by now, sleeping under the stars or in our own beds, listening to those sounds we know and love…”

She then paused before adding, “That, or at least we should have Kaepora Gaebora with us so we can finish this thing as quickly as possible…”

As much as Link didn’t want to admit it, he agreed with Navi…at least with her latter wish. Oh, sure, he did wish he were back in the Lost Woods, but he didn’t think this quest was insane or ridiculous. He really thought it was important, at least in a certain respect. He had to find and collect the Spiritual Stones before Ganondorf had a chance to return to claim them and use them to unlock the door to the Sacred Realm and obtain the Triforce…

“Whatever,” the Kokiri uttered to the fairy under his hat. “Just be sure to keep that promise of yours, because I’d like some peace for a while, okay?”

But Link was too late. Navi had already fallen asleep.

Shaking his head gently, Link quickened his pace of walking. Evening was beginning to turn into night, and he wanted to find a suitable place to rest. He didn’t mind resting in the open, but he felt more comfortable sleeping with some form of shelter over his head. And just his luck, there wasn’t a tree in sight.

But when he saw what was up ahead, he suddenly came to the conclusion his luck was changing. The ground had started to incline a little while back, and now he saw why. A long yet reasonable distance ahead of him was a rocky hill about the height of three, maybe four Deku Trees and a base of an immeasurable size. The Zora River ran straight up the hill’s surface about halfway before disappearing into a ravine cut right into the side of the hill.

“All right!” he thought gleefully. “Maybe I can find a rocky ledge for me to sleep under or something. Either way, it’ll feel a lot better than sleeping out here. Might even shield me from the wind.”

Link again started to walk faster, but this time he didn’t stop until he was almost sprinting. He sprinted so fast that he nearly slipped on a small patch of wet grass and he ended up kicking a small wad of dirt into the river. Naturally, Link didn’t pay much attention to this, but if he had glanced back he would’ve noticed something grab the diluted piece of mud and drag it beneath the surface before throwing it back onto the shore with an outward splash…

 

********************

Din’s Eye was only peeking above the horizon by the time Link made it to the rocky hill, and it disappeared completely when he reached the ravine that the river was running through. Thankfully, the moon had already risen and was supplying ample light for Link to see within the somewhat claustrophobic gorge. Stepping into the gully did take some effort on Link’s part, however, but not because of the darkness. The mere sight of the chasm brought back memories of his decision to commit suicide back on Death Mountain.

The walls of the ravine were slightly below the height of the now-dead Deku Tree, but luckily the moon was in a position that gave the Kokiri enough light to see everything clearly. The Zora River, despite its large span, flowed through the gorge cleanly and allowed reasonable stretches of ground on either side for Link to stand on. By the layout of the place, Link could almost swear that the ravine was specially made for the river.

Boulders lay scattered across the ground and small juts dotted the walls, but nowhere could Link see a “suitable” ledge under which to sleep. To make matters more unpleasant, the gully didn’t provide a haven from the wind. In fact, it actually increased the wind’s intensity by creating somewhat of a wind tunnel. It only made Link more determined to find some form of shelter within the craggy gulch. After all, he had picked up his pace to reach this place by nightfall.

Finally, he found a suitable place to rest: a large rock pillar standing partially in the river with a surface that satisfactorily blocked the wind. Thanking the Three Goddesses, Link made his way to the protected area and sat down against the side of the pillar. He carefully removed his hat from his head, along with Navi, and placed it on the ground. He also removed his sword, slingshot, and bag of bombs, but he kept the pouch with the Spiritual Stones attached to his belt.

Feeling comfortable, Link sighed blissfully before closing his eyes and shuffling his back against the rock pillar to get comfortable…

“Ouch!”

Link’s yelp was followed by a quick jump to his feet and a reach for the pricked part of his lower back. He looked down and found a small, sharp rock about twice the size of his thumbnail lying at the base of the pillar. Frowning at the small stone, Link picked it up.

“Stupid rock waking me up like that,” he muttered under his breath before he carelessly tossed it in the river so it wouldn’t bother him again.

Link made a quick check for any more sharp stones before he finally reclined against the pillar again. He made himself comfortable and only had to wait a moment before his eyelids closed under their own will. Soon, he would be fast asleep, dreaming of finding the final Spiritual Stone and returning home…

“Ow!”

When Link felt something hit his face and hit it hard, like a forest bee sting, he awoke so suddenly that he jerked his head back and struck it against the rock pillar, causing further discomfort. It took him a while to stand up and find his sense of balance as he waited for his blurred vision to adjust itself.

When he finally did feel stable enough to speak, a name immediately came to mind.

“Navi!”

The fairy emerged from his hat a split moment later, albeit groggy. “What…?” she managed to ask sleepily before Link intervened.

“Why did you just hit me?”

As if on cue, Navi quickly snapped wide awake. “Hit you? What do you mean hit you? I’ve been asleep ever since this evening. I couldn’t possibly have hit you.”

“Well, something did!” Link uttered angrily, though not necessarily at Navi. “And it hurt like one of Mido’s punches, only more concentrated, as if something had been thrown at me.”

Navi took a quick glance at her surroundings – this was, after all, the first time she had been out of Link’s had since the evening – and sighed in frustration. “Well, could it have possibly been a rock that had fallen from this pillar? Have you ever considered that?”

Come to think of, Link at first didn’t know why he hadn’t considered it. But he quickly realized the improbability of that possibility. “No, that’s not it. Whatever hit me didn’t come from above – at least I don’t think so – and it was moving too fast. But it probably was a stone. Let me look around and…”

Link’s tongue froze when he looked down at his feet. There, sitting next to his left foot, was the stone he was talking about. But it wasn’t just any stone. It was the exact same stone he had thrown into the river just moments ago.

Unable to believe it, Link reached down and picked it up. It was moist, indicating it had been wet recently. He looked at it carefully, making sure he analyzed it vigilantly, and he finally had to conclude without a single doubt that this was the sharp stone he had thrown into the river.

He was so entranced by this curious phenomenon that Navi had to should several times to get his attention. “Hey! Link! What’s going on? Why are you so affixed with that rock?”

Link explained to the fairy the peculiarity about the rock. When he finished, Navi immediately guffawed at the idea.

“Ridiculous!” she asserted. “Absolutely ridiculous! Do you really expect me to believe that a stone will fly out of the river right back at you?”

“But look at it,” Link insisted as he held the stone out toward Navi. “It’s wet, so it must’ve been inside the river…”

“Come on, Link!” Navi cried. “Maybe the stone had been lying in a puddle somewhere above you and only now slipped out. It may sound weird, but it’s a far better explanation than yours. Stones jumping out of the river…”

“But I’m certain that this is the exact same stone I threw…”

“Rubbish!” Navi bellowed. “One stone had a thousand identical twins. And besides, it’s dark, so you can’t see that well.”

“But…”

“Enough!”

Before Link could respond, Navi grabbed the small stone and, with all her little might, threw the stone into the Zora River, landing the sharp pebble square in the median of the waterway. The fairy then returned her attention to Link.

“Now that that’s over, I’m going back to sleep. And don’t wake me because of something like this again. If another rock happens to fall on your head in the same way as before, just tell yourself it’s your imagination. No one is throwing the exact same pebble at you…”

WHOOSH…

Navi was lucky that the stone barely missed her, but Link wasn’t as fortunate. The stone landed directly between his eyes, creating a soft yet deafening thud. The Kokiri, who had only concentrated on Navi’s speech and was feeling tired anyway, was so caught off guard by the attack that he sank to his knees before landing flat on his face, unconscious.

Navi, shocked by what had just happened, was at first too stunned to move. When she could move, she turned around to face whatever assailant had just struck down Link with a single blow.

To her amazement, she was in time watch two pale fish-like fins disappear beneath the glassy surface of the Zora River…

 

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“Place upon this grave Spiritual Stones three. Three become one and one becomes the key. Past these doors lies a portal unseen. Release the lock with a soul found clean. Have in possession the sound of the light. Beware the temptation of the hearts of the night.”

Princess Zelda didn’t know how many times she had read those words carved upon the front altar of the Temple of Time, but she knew she had read them enough times to burn them into her mind. In fact, if she wanted to, she could recreate the exact same shape of the words carved into the altar, right down to the smallest chips and defects of the letters.

Sighing, she remained knelt at the altar with her hands clasped together. The fragrant perfume that burned within the evening torches tickled her nostrils vigorously. She wanted to appear she was praying to the few monks and peasants who were in the Temple so as not to arouse suspicion.

It wasn’t difficult to figure out by this ancient inscription that the Temple of Time was the housing of the doorway to the Sacred Realm, and therefore the Triforce. Most people simply forgot about the old legends of the power of the gods, and regarded the Temple of Time as just that: a temple. Nowadays, the Tempe of Time was used for routine worships of the Three Goddesses. Pews that filled the enormous sanctuary from one end of the room to the other were packed on worship days, and many people would approach the altars at the front of the sanctuary to pray for forgiveness of sins.

How ironic that they didn’t know they were praying before the very place where the power of the gods lay, the Door of Time!

Actually, the Door of Time was nothing more than a set of wooden double doors affixed to the granite walls of the front end of the temple. Most people believed this was some sort of symbolic religious symbol, but Zelda believed the wooden doors were attached to a set of real stone doors. Of course, opening the Door of Time required special keys, and Link was right now collecting those special keys.

Once he had them, she and Link would open the Door of Time and enter the Sacred Realm. Then, they would find the Triforce and get it before Ganondorf would even realize what was going on. And with the Triforce in the Royal Family’s possession, Hyrule would head into an unprecedented golden age…

“Good evening, princess.”

Zelda nearly died of shock when she heard that voice. She didn’t die, but she did turn ghostly pale. “No, it couldn’t be him…not here…”

But it was. Without giving Zelda a chance to recover from the initial shock, Ganondorf stood directly behind her and leaned forward, placing his chin close to Zelda’s left shoulder. He grinned evilly.

“Might I ask what you’re doing here at this hour, princess?” he asked.

“I could ask the same of you,” Zelda replied coldly. She wasn’t going to give Ganondorf any satisfaction this time, if she could help it.

But Ganondorf’s smile merely widened, and he raised his head from Zelda’s shoulder. “So you’re going to play dumb with me again, aren’t you? That isn’t a wise choice, princess, especially with a Gerudo.”

Zelda’s heart raced in panic, but she kept telling herself that her faithful bodyguard Impa wasn’t too far away. Impa was actually leaning against the wall to the princess’ right, and Zelda knew she was keeping a close eye on the King of Thieves. Ganondorf probably knew this as well, and would most likely not attempt anything foolish, like attacking her.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t verbally abuse her. “Are you ready to tell me what you know?” Ganondorf inquired.

Zelda tried her best not to shiver as she answered, “Just that you are the lowest of the low and a liar of the highest order.”

Ganondorf chuckled at Zelda’s tongue-lashing. “A big thing to say for a brat, but still quite childish.” The Gerudo then moved forward and knelt down before the altar, directly beside Zelda. Zelda’s heart beat faster, but she managed to keep her face stiff with indifference and her eyes gazing forward. The King of Thieves looked at her from his kneeling position and continued, “Insulting me is like believing you can hide everything from me: futile. Come now, why don’t we get this over with? It’ll be a lot easier on you if you just tell me what you’re planning.”

“You’re speaking like you did the first day we met,” Zelda stated. “I don’t know where you get these ideas, Ganondorf, but they are starting to bore me.”

“Ah, so you’re still a little sore with how I threatened you, is that it?” Ganondorf spoke loudly enough for Zelda to hear, but soft enough so as not to arouse Impa’s anger. “Well, I’d apologize for it, but as you just said, I’m the lowest of the low.”

“I’m glad we finally agree on something.”

The two then remained silent for what seemed like an eternity before Ganondorf finally made a move. Without warning, he leaned in close to Princess Zelda’s face…and licked her left cheek with the tip of his slimy tongue! Zelda tried to jump up in disgust and shock, but Ganondorf was too quick for her. He grabbed her head roughly and dragged her ear close to his mouth before whispering into it.

“I know you have it, wench. You can’t hide it from me.”

If Zelda had believed she couldn’t get any paler, she was wrong. The white color in her face went from ghostly to deadly, and her heart skipped not one, but several beats. She started to shake uncontrollably, and her eyes widened in pure horror. Ganondorf didn’t directly name “it,” but he didn’t have to. Zelda knew what he was talking about.

And her reaction was giving away the fact that she knew he knew…

“I want it, princess. I want it now…” Ganondorf started to whisper when suddenly something grabbed the princess and jerked him from the King of Thieves’ hands. Zelda, in her state of shock, already knew who it was, but Ganondorf had to look up to discover it was Impa. He snarled before standing up to face Zelda’s bodyguard.

“I suggest you leave the princess alone,” Impa stated as she gently moved Zelda to her side. “If you so much as touch her again like that, I will personally make sure you wish you hadn’t.”

“Impa…” Zelda wanted to tell Impa not to anger the King of the Gerudo. Impa was indeed a skilled fighter; she used no weapons other than her hands and could take down the King of Hyrule’s best soldier. But Ganondorf was far more than a soldier; he was a natural-born killer, and Zelda feared he might take down Impa with his sword…

Thankfully, Ganondorf wasn’t in the mood to fight Zelda’s guardian. “Very well, I’ll leave your precious princess alone. But we have unfinished business, and I will see to it that it’s finished.”

He then turned his evil gaze to Zelda, who was still in a state of shock. “Hear that, princess? We will meet again. And be a good little girl when we do, okay?”

With those words, Ganondorf turned around with a loud flutter of his cloak and marched out of the temple.

Several monks in the temple had witnessed the scene, but they wisely kept to themselves and didn’t interfere. Impa waited until Ganondorf had long left the temple before she knelt before the princess and tried to calm her down.

“Princess Zelda, Princess Zelda, are you all right?” she asked warmly yet calmly. “Did he hurt you in any way?”

Zelda had regained some color in her cheeks by now, and her shivering had lessened somewhat, but it took some energy for her to speak clearly. “Impa…he knows…he knows…”

“Knows? Knows about what?”

“He knows…that we know…about the Spiritual Stones…and he knows…that I…have…the ocarina…I have…the Ocarina of Time…he knows…”

Impa’s faced gaped in alarm, but it wasn’t as intense as Zelda’s fright fit. “By the Three Goddesses. If he knows that you have the ocarina, then we’re in serious trouble. Is the ocarina safe, princess?”

“Yes…it’s safe,” Zelda replied as she stroked a now familiar bulge in her dress.

“Then we have to protect it more than ever. We can’t let our guard down. Ganondorf might try to get at you to get to it, and we can’t let that happen. You’ll have to watch yourself more closely now, because I can’t be by your side all the time. Other than that, all we can do is…pray, pray to the Three Goddesses to protect us…and to bring that brave young boy back to us safely.”

Zelda nodded. For some odd reason, a tear trickled down her cheek. “Link,” she thought to herself. “Where are you? We need you! I need you! If you come back, I swear I’ll tell you the truth! I swear I won’t lie to you anymore! If you’ll just come back to me…”

 

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Imagine.

A Kokiri with the name of Link and a fairy known as Navi one day is summoned by the Great Deku Tree to go on a perilous journey. He destroys a monstrous parasite called Gohma and her unborn children. He manages to slip past a net of security to find the Princess of Destiny. He confronts and sadistically slaughters two battle-worn Lizalfos. He accidentally lights a Bomb Flower and kills two fully-grown Dodongos. He uses an unexplainable power to defeat the leader of the Dodongos, King Dodongo, getting his hand burned in the process. He overcomes the pain in his hand and every other pain given to him throughout the course of his adventure.

And he has just been knocked unconscious by a single, tiny rock.

The embarrassing thought did cross Link’s mind once as he struggled to stand up, but he ignored it. He managed to raise himself on his knees before he decided to check the area of his head struck by the rock. To his surprise, the rock was still imbedded there, as if wedged into a crack in his face. He plucked the stone from his head and looked at it, dazed and amazed that such a tiny thing could knock him unconscious. There didn’t appear to be any blood on it, and when he touched the area again he didn’t feel any pain.

“Lucky me,” he thought sarcastically. “Who threw this thing at me…?”

“Link! Link! Come quick! Come quick!”

It was Navi. The Kokiri turned his head to watch the fairy appear from behind a bend in the gully and head straight toward him. Navi hovered in front of his face and fluttered around like crazy, her glow flickering in excitement.

“You won’t believe what I found!” she cried crazily. “You have to see it for yourself! It’s unbelievable! I never thought I’d…”

She quickly fell silent when Link held up the rock he had plucked from his face. He then said in a monotone voice, “Just my imagination, huh?”

Navi suddenly started to stutter. “Well, uh…that is to say, I…I, uh…well, I guess I…” She then gave up. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m really, truly, honestly sorry. I made a mistake, and I admit it. But now come, let’s go. You won’t believe…”

“I suppose leaving me here with my new head ornament was better than seeing if I was still alive?”

Navi again started to stutter. “Well, I…maybe I…I guess I just thought…a measly little stone couldn’t…you would recover and…not that I thought…” Again, she gave up. “Okay, okay, again, I’m sorry. I was so intrigued with what I saw that I thought I’d just follow it. I just supposed you were fine. After all, you’ve survived a lot worse than stones…”

Despite her small size, Link could see Navi’s uneasy smile. “Just count yourself lucky,” he said before throwing the stone away, not in the river this time but on the ground. “Now, what is this ‘it’ you’re referring to?”

Navi grew excited again. “You won’t believe it! I’ve never seen anything like it! And I doubt you have either! The closest thing that can compare to it is…Goron City, and even that can’t hold a candle to…”

“Navi!” Link interrupted. “From the sounds of things, you haven’t even answered my question. What is going on here? What’s gotten you into such a frenzy?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself!” the fairy stated. “Follow me! And get your stuff, because we’re not coming back here!” With that, the fairy sped around the bend and out of view.

“Hey, wait!” Link yelled. “Let me first get my stuff!”

Link tried to gather his things so quickly that he only managed to grab his weapons, pouches, and hat, leaving behind the food and provisions Talon had given him. As he raced to catch up to Navi, he attempted to return his items to their proper place, albeit sloppily…

********************

“Well, what do you think?”

Navi’s question reached Link’s ears, but he didn’t respond immediately. He was too awe-inspired to reply right away.

He was standing upon a section of the ground that had curved away from the side of the Zora River and above it, like a natural bridge of some sorts. Just an arm’s length away from the natural bridge was what Link was gaping at. He had seen waterfalls before in the Lost Woods, but never many this grand or enormous. The walls of the gully stopped abruptly and climbed to a seemingly impossible height, probably the apex of the stone hill he was standing in. The water itself cascaded over the high edge like a living thunder, rolling and tumbling with a magnificent aura about it. And yet, as the waters fed the mighty Zora River below it, they made only whispering crashes and no thundering dins.

In the inkiness of the evening and the brightness of the moon, the waterfall looked like a curtain of blue shadows…

Still, Link did eventually snap out of his trance. “It’s beautiful, Navi, he said, “but unfortunate. It’s blocking our path. We’ll have to go back, unless we climb it and go over…”

“No, we don’t,” Navi said animatedly. “Watch this.”

With those words, Navi zipped straight into the curtain of the waterfall and disappeared from view.

Link jerked back in shock. “Navi? Navi! Where are you? Where are you? What’s going on?”

An immediate fear that the power of the water had swept her down into Zora’s River quickly spread over his face, but that fear just as quickly disappeared when he heard his fairy’s familiar voice. “Link! Don’t worry!