162 replies to this topic

[Husse]

No, I won't get too far into this story. I've only written two chapters for both, and stopped. I have yet to post them b/c of technical difficulties, but hakuna matata, I haven't left.

I think the Link I'm envisioning will be the same considering I've written everything in OoT except the dungeons!

Odd, you think Tatl seems mature? I never thought that's what it looked like. If anything, I tried to make her look like a fibbing smart-mouth, like when she says she was calm the whole time. I'll look over it, but bah, tis another story for another day anyway! I hope to get the other chapter up soon, but I'm having trouble with my comp...

[Husse]

Screw it. I'll get up those other chapters up when I find my floppy, but temporarily it's back to the story.

NEXT CHAPTER!!!

This chapter's ver long and very awkward, but I did the best I could. It seems appropriate that we should see one version of Skull Kid, and then a very different, much less corrupted version, verdad? Saria is too sappy, though. Must fix.

Half the dialogue here's good, half is sappy. It's sort of another love-hate chapter, but it was just a weird one to write, the way it was set up, forgive me. I thik it gets better once Skull Kid starts yammering. He's basically Pinocchio/Genie/Pierre the Scarecrow, whilst hes more of a Pinocchio/Genie/Gollum in MM. Tell me what you think.

26
A Meeting, a Parting, and a Very Strange Monster  
Link

 
For some weird reason, I was kind of glad Navi was gone. Maybe we just needed our own space or something. I continued down the corridor, following the music. Two Scrubs eyed me suspiciously along the way, but they must have been too lazy to do anything.
 
That or they were afraid of my sword.
 
At the end of the alley I saw what I had been waiting for. It was a beautiful clearing full of mosses, ivy, and flowers. Patches of clover, Wolfos-free, littered the landscape, and a scraggly, ancient maple without leaves bowed gently over the scene, near a large stone building, carved firmly into the wall high above, the stairs leading up to it blown away. I began to wonder if this was the ?important thing? Kaepora had decided not to tell me about.
 
But I didn?t dwell on it long, because the most beautiful thing by far was sitting on a tree stump to the right of the building?s columns, playing her own ocarina for all to hear.
 
Just as I?d suspected, Saria was here, eyes closed in simple bliss, swaying her legs to and fro to the fast, lively music she was playing. She looked up from her instrument and smiled, like she?d been expecting me.
 
?Hey, Link,? she grinned.
 
?Hi, Saria,? I smiled back, ?Want to tell me what you?re doing in the Lost Woods??
 
?This isn?t the Lost Woods,? she laughed, ?It?s the Sacred Forest Meadow, located in much-too-scenic Lost Woods. This is a safe place, once you know how to find it. It?s a secret place I can go alone. I should?ve told you about it before you, well, had to leave.?
 
I nodded, ?Granted. You play nice and loud. I could hear you all the way in the northwest area of the kingdom.?
 
?You have gone far,? she laughed, ?But this place?I was actually kind of?waiting for you, I guess. I feel??
 
She broke off and stared as a bird flew above us, nestling atop the roof of the strange building, ?I feel this place will be very?important?for you and I someday. That?s what I feel. It?s hard to really?explain to you. But I?ve been waiting and practicing. I?ll bet you have, too.?
 
There was an awkward moment between us as she sat there on the stump, and I stood a ways back from her. We didn?t really hug or anything. I?d been gone?what was it? Three days? But finally, Saria broke the silence and laughed.
 
?I told you you?d come crawling back here, didn?t I??
 
I laughed too, and soon we were smiling and relaxed, talking about all that had happened to us, for we?d never been apart before. I ended up talking the most, of course.
 
I told Saria all about Kaepora and the Stalchilds, about the Hylians and Malon, about the graveyard experience, the nice guard at the mountain, and the starving Gorons.
 
But we spent most of the time talking about Zelda, and what she had asked me to do. I don?t think we hardly mentioned Ganondorf. I didn?t have to tell Saria that he was the one who had started all this. She wasn?t really surprised, hearing that I was going undercover to save Hyrule from this ?wolf in sheep?s clothing,? as she called him. But she got more and more uncomfortable when I talked about Zelda.
 
She stood up suddenly, ?You, ah, should leave. I really have been keeping you too long. I feel bad all of a sudden, you know? You?re supposed to be getting those stones for the Princess, and I?ve been detaining you here.?
 
?Saria,? I licked my lips and swallowed, ?You know I would love nothing more than to have gone to the Princess, had a nice chat, and come back to the forest, but that?s not the way it is. You?re right. I?m sorry. I?have to leave.?
 
?That?s not what I think at all,? she muttered, ?I always figured you wanted to leave and go have adventures.? She played a scale on her ocarina and smiled, ?You need ?em.?
 
She closed her eyes and played her ocarina once again, and I turned to go.  
 
?Wait!? she shouted, ?That?s it!?
 
?What?? I asked.
 
?It?s a slim chance, but I may have the solution to your problems with the King!?
 
?What? How??
 
She played a few notes on her ocarina, ?The Gorons love music, right? And from what you?ve heard, especially King Darunia, right??
 
?Yeah, but I still?oh.?
 
She grinned, ?Music soothes??
 
I smiled, ??the savage beast.?
 
Not that Darunia was a beast exactly.
 
?Follow along with me,? she said, ?This is the tune I play alone here every day. I can feel the presence of the spirits in the forest sometimes.?
 
?Spirits?? I asked.
 
?Look all around you,? she shrugged, ?The fireflies. The trees. The grass. The ivy. The everything I guess. Real magic is found in the little things. Can?t you feel the soft whisper of beauty in all the things of the forest? Gifts from above. Absolutely magical.?
 
I looked at Saria funny. She?d always been imaginative. ?I?m sorry, Saria, but I really don?t see anything magical about this place. Beautiful? Yes. Magical? No.?
 
She scoffed, ?Maybe I?m just weird, then. I was sure you?d feel it too, but you?re right. All the other Kokiri think I?m a Deku nut too. But when I?m in the peace of the meadow?I just feel the real Spirit of the Forest. And in the whispers of the quiet, I heard this song. That?s why it?s so special to me. And now, you can learn it too. Now, follow along with me.?
 
I played the tune with Saria and nearly lost my breath trying to keep up. It was loud, fast, and spirited, much like Saria herself, and as fun and catchy a tune as I knew how to play. If it didn?t lift the King?s spirits, maybe it would lift mine.
 
And that?s when Navi flew into our company. ?Hello,? she twittered, ?Did I miss much??
 
?Nothing important,? I grinned, then showed her how I could play Saria?s song.
 
?Saria?s Song,? Navi nodded, ?That?s not a bad name.?  
 
?Oh please,? she replied, ?It?s not my song. I didn?t make it up.?
 
?Saria?s Song,? I sighed, as I walked away from my friend and her secret place, ?Is what I?ll call it. So I?ll think of you whenever I play.?
 
She blushed, and I turned and headed for Goron Village.
 
But as I stumbled through the never-ending Lost Woods, passing one same familiar tree over and over, I couldn?t help but wonder if there was something magical about that song.

                                                    *********
 
?You?re lost, Link,? Navi whimpered.
 
?I?m not lost!? I argued, ?But I have to admit I?m a little bewildered.?
 
?Oh, that makes a lot of sense.?
 
We?d been wandering in the woods for a very long time. I felt pretty stupid. As soon as we left the meadow, we?d run into Kaepora, waiting for us, and I hadn?t even thought to ask him the way back before he ?Hoot, hoot, hoed!?  and flew off.
 
We were looking for a tunnel in a million miles of forest that led all the way outside the kingdom boundaries. We could be anywhere. And Navi wasn?t much help this time.
 
?We went straight at the striped bushes,? she hummed, ?and left at the boulder. Should we have gone right at the boulder? No, because then we wouldn?t have passed the bigger boulder. Which we did. So we turned off at??
 
?We got past the lagoon,? I reminded her, ?But I haven?t seen the picnicking Scrubs at the bee tree.?
 
?That doesn?t mean anything! They could have packed up and left!?
 
?I haven?t seen the bee tree, Navi.?
 
?Oh.?
 
Suddenly, in the middle of our jabbering, we heard a strange rattling.
 
?What was that?? I asked.
 
Rattle. Rattle. Rattle tattle tic-a rattle.
 
Then a fife started piping with the rattling. It was a pretty awful sound, really. Unlike Saria, this musician was very tone-deaf. Navi floated over to a gigantic fallen log. The strange noises were on the other side of that.
 
We passed through the creaky black slowly, creeping along, so as not to scare whoever was playing. Slowly, as the light shone through, we saw a very short gangly something dancing, high in the air.
 
Rattle. Rattle. Rattle tattle tic-a rattle, tweet-tweet-tweet!
 
As we came out into the open, we could see it wasn?t dancing in the air, but on top of half of a very tall tree, felled in the middle. The light from the sun was shining on the tall stump just so. It looked like a heavenly being floated down to play here, despite its horrible racket suggesting otherwise.
 
I stood at the foot of the tree and called, ?Ah, excuse me. But is there anyone up there? Could you tell us where we are? We?re lost.?
 
The thing rattled a little and peered down at us. It gasped. I gasped. It did a back flip off the stump and disappeared. I ran all around the tree looking for it, but it was just gone. I hadn?t gotten a real good glimpse of it, but what I saw told me one thing. It wasn?t human.
 
Or at least, it wasn?t now.
 
Navi spoke up, ?I don?t think it likes us, Link. We?d better leave.?
 
But I wasn?t so sure. The thing looked?sad. Lonely, even. I called out, ?Hello? Little, um, little?person? Are you around? Hey, ah, if you like music, I can help you out! I know a great song you can play, with some practice! Want to come out and listen??
 
Navi hissed, ?What are you doing? That thing didn?t look right! It?s deformed!?
 
I ignored Navi and played Saria?s Song for the little whatever-it-was. And suddenly, it popped up right beside me! It had been behind me, backed against the gnarled, rotten, tree.
 
And no wonder. It blended in perfectly. I stared at the grotesque thing for a minute.
 
?That?s pretty,? he said. I think it was a he.
 
?Thank you,? I said, ?Ah, hi.?
 
?Hello!? a voice replied, but it wasn?t the thing?s, ?Where are you? I thought you left!?
 
?Aaah!? I yelped, then swallowed, my head pounding, ?SARIA??
 
The voice had just popped into my head. I heard it, but I didn?t hear it.
 
?Yeah, it?s me. Where are you??
 
?I, uh,? I glanced around. The thing was gone. I had probably scared him.
 
?Your voice?? she gasped, ?You?re not here! But I can hear you?sort of. In my head.?
 
?Same here,? I thought back to her, glancing around, ?I think I know why. It?s your song.?
 
?What??
 
?It must be magic, like you said. I had this sense that maybe there was something magical it could do, but I didn?t know what. I just played it.?
 
?Telepathy,? she said, in my brain, ?Between you and me. That?s the magic. Even though I?m in the Sacred Meadow and?where are you??
 
?I?m in the Lost Woods still. Lost, obviously. I don?t suppose you know the way to a Goron Tunnel in here??
 
?No,? she said, growing faint, ?I don?t know the rest of the woods any better than-?
 
?Saria?? I asked, ?SARIA??
 
The magic was only temporary, I suppose. Navi was just staring at me.
 
She whistled, ?I think something?s very, very, wrong with you, Link. We need to get out of this crazy forest before you go completely insane.?
 
?You didn?t hear that?? I asked, vocally this time.
 
?I heard you yelp, stammer, and call Saria?s name, if that?s what you mean.?
 
?No, it wasn?t that. It was Saria. She was talking, in my head.?
 
Navi wasn?t convinced. I was still a little messed up by the whole thing, and now our new ?friend? was missing. Come to think of it?
 
?What was that thing, Navi?? I asked.
 
?That was a living example of the horror that befalls Hylian children who enter the Lost Woods,? she shuddered, ?Those monstrous little youngsters are often referred to as Skull Kids.?
 
?That?s me!? a voice called from above. I glanced up.
 
There was that Skull Kid, hanging from his knees on a tree, flute in mouth. He dropped straight down onto his head and cartwheeled in front of me, sitting cross-legged at my feet to snap his twisted head back into place. He was dressed in colorful rags that he obviously hadn?t changed in a very long time, and a straw hat with a hole up top that flipped back and forth with each shake of his head. But I?d seen peddlers like that. The rest of him was what scared me.  

It was really very difficult to tell what he was made of, first off. His skin was brown, hard, and shriveled, stuck tight to his bones like he was a brown skeleton. Just on sight, it was nigh impossible to tell if his hide was rotted skin or carved wood, and it?s not like I was going to reach out and feel him to find out. Even when he was sitting still, little parts of him rattled or revolved on their joints in a most unsettling way, like he was a tangled marionette that just couldn?t stay still. His sad little face was the easiest to remember, though. He had a head like a coconut, the same color as the rest of him, with two sad, beady, red eyes that gleamed like a puppy?s at night, and, in place of a mouth or nose, he had a little chick-like beak. Even then, these facial features would rotate or turn askew every once in a while, and Skull Kid would promptly turn them back around.

We just stared at each other for a while, me shaking a bit, until the little fellow broke the silence. ?Did you want me for something, or can I go back to practice, friend??

?I, ah,? I stuttered, ?I was going to ask you for something, really. I just got interrupted. You see, me and my fairy are lost,?

?You were talking to yourselves,? he pointed with a floppy finger.

?Yeah I was,? I said, ?But I?m done now and I?d really like you to help me and my fai??

?You?re a Kokiri!? he gasped, ?Oh yeah! I know you Kokiris! You have a fairy, right? Don?t answer, I know you do and all, but I was wondering, could I have her? I want a fairy really badly!?

?Well, it doesn?t quite work that way,? I began.

?You sure?? he asked, ?Cause I was a Kokiri, you know! Once. I think. And I?d like a fairy! I never got one. I think you got mine.?

I glanced at Navi.

?Fibber,? she whispered.

?You?re a Kokiri, eh?? I mused.

?Uh huh,? he rattled his head until I was sure it would pop off.

?Then you know your way around these woods.?

He laughed, ?Course I do! I?ve been here for a long, long time now. Me and my friends know our way around these woods and the whole wide world and the whole wide UNIVERSE!?

I rolled my eyes, ?Your friends? Other Skull Kids??

Skull Kid bounced around a bit, doing a flip here and a chasse there as he talked and I followed him. Though surprisingly athletic, he never quite walked upright. He was always crouched, hunched, or slumping, like a monkey of some kind, before he leaped into some random gymnastic feat. He suddenly did a wild pirouette, gyrating off his ankle, while his foot stayed frozen on point, and giggled, ?Oh! Other Skull Kids! Yeah, I guess there are some of those around here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they?re my friends, but I mean my FRIENDS friends. They?re big cool. I can take you to meet ?em if you want, ?cause, yeah, yeah, you?re song is so WILD and pretty, and, yeah, you can be my friend too, right? And then I get my fairy??

?Hold on a second,? I rebutted, ?I never said that, exactly. I just want to get out of the forest. I?m lost. If you tell me how to get out of here, I?ll repay you somehow. But Navi is mine.?

?Oh!? he shouted, ?I see. You?re not the only one that?s asked me for that, but I?ll do it! Sometimes they make it out before it?s too late, sometimes they don?t. But if they don?t, that?s okay, ?cause then I have more friends. Not big cool FRIENDS. But friends! You sure you don?t want to meet my big, cool friends? Oh, yeah, guess not. We probably wouldn?t make it there, anyway. I mean, I don?t think you?d have enough time, would you? You was talking to yourself, so you must be going crazy soon. I went crazy a long time ago! I better show you the exit.?

?Not just any exit,? I amended, ?The tunnel to Goron Village.?

?Oh, that exit?? he laughed. He jiggled once, he rattled twice, and then he jumped on my back, covered my eyes, spun me around three times and pointed me towards the tunnel, right in plain sight, as if we?d never left.

?See?? he nodded, ?I knows this forest like the back of my hand!? He twisted his hand around backwards to demonstrate.

I shrugged, ?I don?t know how you did it, but thank you very much. How do I repay you??

Skull Kid eyed Navi pleadingly, but Navi just glared back with a no. He spun his beak around on his face a few times then sighed, ?That funny song is good enough. Every time I play the flute, I get one note down, and then forget the rest. HAH! Yes, that song you taught me will be good enough. I?m glad you?re not crazy yet. The outside world could use your music!?

I ventured down the tunnel and waved farewell. ?Say hello to your friends for me.?

?Oh, I will!? he smiled, ?They?re great friends. I tell them everything. I get to talk to them ALL THE TIME!? He cackled like a toddler. Which, I suppose, he was.

Navi snorted and retreated into the dark. I started to follow her, then turned, suddenly curious, ?Skull Kid??

?Uh huh?? he asked, between breaths of playing his flute.

?How long have you been here? I mean, like you, um, are? Here in this forest??

I thought the question might hurt his feelings. Eternal life as a skeletal monster in the woods didn?t sound like a picnic, even though he seemed happy enough.

He turned those sad eyes on me and smiled, ?I used to count, y?know. Before I had real good friends to keep me company. Then I stopped at a thousand-THOUSAND!? he shouted, falling on his back in a bed of leaves, wiggling and giggling again.  

?Days?? I asked, ?You?ve been here a thousand days??

He jumped up from his rolling and looked soulfully at me with his small, sad eyes, before the childish mask came back up and he giggled, ?No, silly. BIRTHdays!?
 
The very prospect of that existence shocked me so much I went dashing down the corridor, not even stopping to look back until I?d reached the far northwest, followed all the while by his high-pitched giggle and ever-rattling joints. Whoever these ?big cool? friends of his were, they had been around a very, very long time, and it was hard not to wonder if Skull Kid had met his ?friends? at the beginning of time.

Oh yes, I had no idea how to end it, so I went with cheesy. Can anyone give me a really good last sentence?

[Husse]

I have a feeling this thread is DEEEEAAAAAD, but I might as well post this, last two chapters of MM demo, FINALLY uploaded.

I'm...not even going to comment. it was a joy writing this, and I have so many puns and situations planned for this, that, against my better judgment, this will probably be my next project once I finish all the OoT dungeons. It'll be a BIG job, but I feel it's coming more easily than WW as of now.

The first (2nd, though) chapter here is basically the Hero of Time's history, and the third is the transformation and meeting Tatl, though we don't get much character development yet, he still doesn't know her name. You be the judge on how good/bad this is...

One comment I guess. Link is definitely a pessimistic grunge monkey now, after the war, but, as I hope you'll see, he still carries kindness in his heart, even if his childhood is all but gone.

OH! Nother comment, Chapter Two has a frightening spoiler for how I totally fanficced the ending of my story to make it more dramatic. If you don't want to know, don't read Chapter Two. Statistically, this very well could happen in the game, and is based on that one life-saving game principle that we all know and love, only not in this way. I know that it is 100% undiluted fanfic, and I feel a LITTLE bad, but it really gives the end more meaning, explains why he would want to see Navi so badly, and hey, it COULD'VE happened, it just didn't...

And if you don't know wtf I'm talking about, I'll just say this. It involves Navi's role in the final battle.

2
Hero of Time
Link

 
I leapt to my feet and spat a mouthful of grass just in time to see the white fairy disappear into the gloom with a gallop of hooves and the snicker of that?that thing. I could have sworn I?d recognized him, but it just couldn?t be. I had met Skull Kid before, a long time ago it seems like, and he would never have robbed anyone, especially not me. Double-dealing? Cheating? Pranking? Maybe, but never robbing. I leapt up from the bushes and brandished my sword, calling after the thieves as I ran down the hollow after them. I hopped over a stump, and did a back flip or two over the gaps in a large fallen log, just in case they could see me, to show off for the crooks, just to let them know who they were dealing with. I don?t give in.
 
My name is Link. If you?re Hylian, you know me already. If you?re not, you?re about to learn. My tale will probably seem extravagant, especially coming from a twelve-year old kid, but it?s true. And again, if you?re Hylian, you?re about to hear a part of my story they don?t tell at the marketplace.
 
In the kingdom of Hyrule, you see, there is a forest, far to the south, where human Hylians rarely go. That is Kokiri Forest, home of the never-aging Kokiri, and that is where I spent the first happy, peaceful ten years of my life, though I wouldn?t have told you they were happy then, back then I had bullies. If bullies were all I had to worry about later, I?d be in pure bliss. But I?m getting ahead. After ten years of living in Kokiri Forest, something awful happened. I was the only Kokiri in the forest with no guardian fairy friend to call my own. One morning, the Deku Tree sent me one, along with a summons.
 
The guardian of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, called me to him, on account of him having been terribly cursed by a man from a desert race called the Gerudo. I tried to save him and failed, but before he died, he gave me a gift, and a task. He gave me the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, and told me to leave the forest and head across the plains to the center of human life, Hyrule Castle, where I had to seek out the Princess, and conference with her about how to stop the desert man from getting the great treasure of Hyrule, the Triforce.
 
So, even though I was told that Kokiri die when they leave the forest, I journeyed with my faithful companion Navi, to the castle and soon met the princess, Zelda, who told me that the Triforce was kept in a blank dimension known as the Sacred Realm, and whoever touches it gets one wish granted, no matter how big and dangerous. Fortunately, the portal to this realm was kept behind an irremovable temple wall and the only way to unlock the door to the wall was to gather all three of the Spiritual Stones, one of which I had, and the treasure of the Royal Family, which she had, the Ocarina of Time.  
 
Our plan was to get our wishes granted before the evil Ganondorf could get to them first. It didn?t sound like a bad idea, but then again, I was so much younger than I am now. There was so much I didn?t know.

So I ran out into the countryside to get the Stones while the Princess kept a sharp eye out for Ganondorf, the man from the desert, and protected the Ocarina. After a lot of danger, pain, and hard work, I got one stone from the rock-eating mountain Goron people, and the other from the aquatic, graceful Zora people. I thought I was done. Sometimes I wish I had been. But it wasn?t to be.
 
I got to town just in time to see the drawbridge lower and Zelda come riding out with her guard, followed closely by the despicable Ganondorf. He shot me back with a beam of magic and gave me a warning: He was going to rule this world. But all was not lost. Zelda had not ridden off with the Ocarina of Time. She left that for me, in the moat.
 
I went to the Temple of Time to unlock the door in the wall by playing the Ocarina and placing the stones on their respective pedestals. When the door opened, I didn?t see a magical, white, portal to the Sacred Realm. All I saw was a sword in a pedestal. Navi told me that that was a legendary sword, called the Master Sword, Blade of Evil?s Bane, and only those pure of heart and mind could touch it, and even then, only one could wield it. It was the last key to opening the Realm. After a moment of mental preparation, I grabbed the sword?s hilt and pulled it up. This weird blue light towered and seeped around me and?well?
 
I raced ahead toward Skull Kid and his little accomplices. They couldn?t be far off. I crawled through a glade and into a cavern, peering around in the dark. ?Skull Kid?? I called, ?I know you?re here! Where?s my ocarina? Where?s Epona? Answer me!?
 
?So, then, I guess you want to hear what happened to me, huh? Not in the cavern, but in the temple, in the past. Well, at that moment, from the second I was drawn into the Sacred Realm, I lost the only childhood I had ever had. And it?s a little hard for me to tell you about all this, because remembering stems a pain that time hasn?t healed very well. You see, when I was in the Sacred Realm, for a very short time, looking for the Triforce, I had made two terrible mistakes.  

The first mistake wasn?t exactly my fault, but more of a twist of fate. The Master Sword apparently knew that I was the legendary Hero that was supposed to wield it, but wasn?t sure what to do with me. The sword had a mind of its own, and it thought I was too young, small, and weak to be the legendary Hero. So it locked me up, froze me in place for a minute, and I couldn?t move toward the Triforce. Maybe there could?ve been a way out of that, if it weren?t for the second mistake.

Ganondorf had backtracked, suspicious of the little kid heading toward the temple, and stopped pursuing Zelda in time to arrive at the Temple of Time and watch me pull the Master Sword out of the pedestal. That left the portal to the Sacred Realm wide open, and he walked in, sneered at me, knocked me out while I was helpless, and took what he came for. I had failed miserably, and while I was frozen, unconscious in the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf usurped the throne, slaughtered and drove out the people, and became known as the King of Evil all throughout the kingdom.

It stayed like that for a good seven years, everyone tells me. It?s not like I would know, I was comatose, but in seven years, the sword decided I was strong enough, and I woke up.  
Remember me mentioning that little thing about Kokiri not aging? I found out quite suddenly, when I woke up that I was not a Kokiri. I was in the Chamber of Sages, a small pocket of light in the now-darkened Sacred Realm, next to an old man named Rauru, and I could tell by Navi?s stunned expression and my reflection in the water of the chamber, that I was now a one hundred percent human being seventeen year old man.

I wasn?t very happy about it either. My entire happy childhood was shot down to a measly lie in five seconds flat. Rauru, the old man, told me that the Sages were a protective oligarchy of the ancient Hyrule, and six of them, one representative of each race, were needed to stop Ganondorf and return peace to Hyrule. But there was only one sage, the Hylian Rauru, Sage of Light, and he couldn?t leave his safe haven to alert the descendants of the others, lest he get caught and all hope be lost. I was apparently the Hero of Time now, the one strong person that could defeat Ganondorf alone. The Deku Tree had told us old prophecies a long time ago about the day when unparalleled evil would rise against the world, and a hero would stand against him.

I knew then what he had known when he summoned me to him. I was that hero. In a way I had always dreamed of doing something great and overcoming all odds to make the Kokiri and the rest of the world proud, but at the same time, it was a lot to take in at once, and worse yet, I couldn?t rest. Following me and watching my every move was a boy about my age named Sheik, one of the last few Sheikahs, a race of beings like ninjas that guard Hylians, and he was always assisting me and giving me clues in my search just before disappearing and telling me to press on. I knew that he knew something I didn?t but try as I might, I could never catch him.

After several months of searching, I found, one by one, traveling through peril, time, and weariness, the Sages. After having escaped death and torture by mere hairs, and having my innermost fears and doubts ripped out and laid on the ground where I and Navi could see them, I found, Sage by Sage, Saria, my best friend as a Kokiri, and the Sage of Forest, Darunia, King of the Gorons, and the Sage of Fire. I also found Ruto, Princess of the Zora, and the Sage of Water, Impa, Zelda?s personal Sheikah guard, and the Sage of Shadow, and finally, I traveled to Ganondorf?s homeland to find Nabooru, Queen of Gerudo Thieves, and the Sage of Spirit. But even though all the Sages were together, there was one person I had yet to find. Zelda, after seven years, was still in hiding. Ganondorf wanted her just as much as he wanted me, though I wasn?t sure why.

Rauru told me, finally, to go to the Temple of Time, and I did, only to run into Sheik once more. He explained to me one thing about the Triforce that I still didn?t know. Don?t you think, he said, that if he had the power to, Ganondorf would have wished for the world instead of the kingdom? And eliminated all good left in the world with a single wish? But he didn?t. Now why is that?  

Sheik then told me that even if all the other safeguards against evil failed, the treasure keys, the Sword that evil ones may not touch, if all that failed, there was one more hope. If an unbalanced, corrupted person touched the Triforce, it would not grant a wish directly. It would split into its three parts: Power, Wisdom and Courage. Ganondorf kept only the part most important in his mind: Power. The other two flew away to those chosen by destiny to possess them. If Ganondorf wanted his dreams of all-powerful lordship granted, he would have to hunt down the other two people and capture their treasures. The Triforce of Power gave him extra fuel to defeat the armies of Hyrule and make him a great sorcerer, but his dark designs reached further.

And then it hit me. But Sheik still whispered, and how did you overcome what you overcame, Link? How did you beat the odds? Your ever-lasting endurance and hope had a supernatural quality, true? The one who carries the Triforce of Courage is you, Link! And the one who carries the Triforce of Wisdom is the seventh Sage, destined to be leader of them all.

In a flash, the rowdy Sheik became elegant, his piercing red eyes faded to gentle blue, and Princess Zelda?s eyes filled with tears. It is I, she said, Princess Zelda.
She had a new plan this time, a better one, she said. She had been waiting, in hiding, disguised as a Sheikah teenager for a long time to avoid Ganondorf?s grasp. Now the plan was to lure him here, in the Temple of Time, to capture her and I in the same place, only to be met with the power of the Six Sages and locked forever in the Sacred Realm where he could never get out. She fitted my bow and arrow I carried with Arrows of Light and we began making plans.

But all of a sudden Ganondorf?s voice echoed through the temple, calling Zelda a traitor, capturing her in a pink crystal, and sweeping her away to his Tower, saying that she would be dead if I didn?t come to save her. It was a trap. But I had to do it.

So I met him in his tower, winding my way up the staircase, fighting minions and hallucinations until I fought him face to face, Navi and I against the greatest tyrant in the world, until, by some miracle, and with the help of the Light Arrows, Ganondorf fell, cursed my name, and the castle came tumbling down around our ears, Zelda and I escaping just in time. It was over. It was finally over.  

Or so I thought.

Ganondorf had used the Triforce of Power to retain life somehow, not in his body, but as his raw, demented soul. The result was a mutated looking horror we could only call Ganon, the ?dorf? or man, part of him long gone. After another arduous battle, I fought back with a vengeance and weakened the immortal monster so greatly that the Sages were able to whisk him away to the Sacred Realm, where he would stay locked for eternity.

Despite all the pain, even now it is hard to tell anyone this epic, it?s so hard to believe that it happened, and much less, that it happened to me, and I imagine that all you Hylians are thinking this is ridiculous, at no time in Hyrule was the evil Ganondorf ever a supreme ruler.
That?s because there was still one choice to make. Zelda, with her Ocarina of Time, could send me back to my childhood, right at the time Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm, so the locking-away result would be the same, but Hyrule would never suffer, and more importantly, her father would not die. I agreed to go back, and this alternate past has become my new reality. Hyrule knows me as the clever boy who locked up Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm before the usurper could turn on the throne, but I know better. Looking around me, I felt like the gloomiest ten year old that ever existed. I knew things that no ten year old should know, and I couldn?t return to the home I loved, the home I didn?t belong in. I was Hylian, not Kokiri. I stayed in the palace as an honored hero with the Zelda that never knew she had failed.

I know that few Hylians of this generation will believe my story, but it?s true. And two years after the day I locked Ganon away as a child and joined the Royal Family, I left the castle again for a little visit to see my friend. We had never really said our proper goodbyes. The friend I?m speaking of, of course, is Navi.  

One thing I failed to mention earlier. When I was fighting the giant pig-monster Ganon in the future that never was, I let my guard down at a very inopportune time. Ganon took advantage of this and stabbed me, right through the stomach like a kebab. And Hyrule would?ve been lost then if it weren?t for Navi. Being my ever-faithful guardian fairy, she sacrificed herself, evaporating away to give life to me, and I was able to come back and beat Ganon. When Zelda sent me back in time, however, Navi sprouted from the lifeless wings, alive in the past, to congratulate me and I?feel like I wasn?t as?grateful to her as I should have been. After only a very short time I told her that she had to go back to the forest, and I had to go on alone. With barely a little goodbye, she flew away, and I hadn?t seen her since.

It wasn?t supposed to be a big deal, leaving the castle. Just in case, I brought my trusty horse, Epona, my old Kokiri sword, and an honorary hero?s shield I was awarded, and Zelda gave me her treasure in memory of good times, but nothing else. And in tribute to Navi, I wore my Kokiri outfit as well; it was a miracle it still fit. But now I had been robbed of my horse, and Zelda?s heirloom, and if that lousy Skull Kid thought he could just get away with that, he had another?

?Whoa!? I shouted. The cavern had come to a sudden stop. Literally.

Right in front of me was a humongous canyon, pitch black all the way to the bottom. And I was at the edge of the cliff. I teetered on my heel for a moment, staring at the blue-tinted blackness and then dropped. Straight down, through the dark, chill air, falling forever and ever and ever, screaming all the way.

And all I wanted to do was see Navi!  

3
Hero Hexed
Link

I think it occurred to me about two minutes into freefall that this was not an ordinary chasm. Besides being extremely deep, there was also something foreboding about it. Tumbling through the emptiness, I had this strange sensation like maybe?I was leaving something behind. It was like that feeling you get when you?ve just dived into a lake with your eyes closed, and you can?t see any difference in the space around you, but this odd silence fills your ears and everything feels colder, and apart.  

Then the hallucinations came. At least I think that?s what they were. Wild colors of the rainbow danced through the air, floating up to meet me, and took on shapes of things I knew from home, people, places, some of my older possessions. Slowly the images turned, twisted, and warped to become something slightly different, or sometimes they didn?t change at all. Then, like locusts, they took off into the air above me, and I looked down. I was very, very close to solid ground. Uh-oh.

PAMPH! I landed on something pink and cushiony. The strange thing was I had fallen so far, and barely felt any impact at all landing. I looked down at the thing, hoping it wasn?t a toad or something. No, it was a flower. A very big flower with no stem, like a Lilly pad, but a flower nonetheless. I looked up and around, and suddenly, CHA-CLICK!

Two spotlights danced in the middle of the room on one little person floating in the air. It was Skull Kid, yes, he was floating, and yes, spotlights with no source in a chasm had just appeared to accentuate his presence. Oh, and yes, I was beginning to worry. Skull Kid crossed his arms and lolled on his back in midair, his masked face and a fairy on one side, mocking me. But Epona?where was??

Oh?no.

?You?re actually pretty quick,? Skull Kid giggled, ?Hope the fall didn?t hurt or nothing. Silly me. It never does??

I didn?t answer. What was I supposed to say? This just wasn?t like Skull Kid at all.

?Anyway,? he drawled, ?What?s with that stupid horse of yours? It doesn?t listen to a word that?s said to it! Whoa got me nothing. Slow down? Of course not. Silly horse. Dumb little thing. Stupid foal. There?s no point in riding a thing like that, so I did you a favor and got rid of it. Hee hee hee! And it was fun, too!?

I rocked back, completely shocked. This wasn?t the Skull Kid I knew! And he couldn?t have! What did he mean by ?get rid of?? No. If he had?I reached for my sword. That?s it. I was going to kill him.  

Skull Kid rocked a little this time, still levitating. I half-expected his mask?s eyes to grow even bigger in surprise. Then he giggled annoyingly again and spoke, dripping with eagerness,

?Aw, boo hoo. Why the sad face? I just thought I?d have a little fun with you. Matter of fact I think I will! Do you really think you can beat me as I am now? Fool!?

He started waggling his head back and forth, rattling like a bag of beans, his mask twisting around on his face as he rattled, bright light tracing cracks in its curves, and a twisting current of purple magic emanating from the center of it all. Purple magic was dark magic, and if I could?ve moved, I would have, but as soon as his head started rattling, I dropped to my knees. How can I even describe the pain? Every time he rattled, the force of the shake echoed in my head, in my thoughts, and through my nerves, a pulsating echo that pressed in around me, a torrent of vibrating purple that I couldn?t stop.

I stiffened up on my toes in pain, and was totally unconscious before I could fall back down again. Skull Kid giggled in pleasure, and the darkness of death closed in around me with one last rattle. Then?




I wasn?t dead? I looked around me. Everything was black, but I could see me, and the ominous rattle of Skull Kid still purged the air. I took a step forward, and green smoke billowed from my feet. Another hallucination? Ganondorf had played tricks before. Was all evil like that?

Was Skull Kid really evil?

RATTLE! Roll-tic-a-tattle, RATTLE!

In the black around me, something flashed. Orange, bright, moving, rustling, what?

RATTLE! Roll-tic-a-tattle, RATTLE!

Again, it appeared. And again. Every time on beat with each new echoing jangle. I squinted. I could just make out some shapes in the glinting orange moment. Leaves! It was rustling leaves!  

RATTLE! Roll-tic-a-tattle, RATTLE!

And then the shapes became real, and I wasn?t alone in the dark. But I certainly didn?t like the company. Quite suddenly, I was surrounded by Scrubs! Deku Scrubs, the vile little nut spitting, dribbling proboscises, and leafy-topped heads of the midget plant monsters were all around me, a swarm stretching into the infinite dim. And they were laughing! Stop! I reached for my sword to scare off the pesky little animals, but it was gone! I could see it, but my hand went right through it! And the Scrubs were getting very big, very fast.
I pushed through the throng of flora and ran, fast as I could, into nothingness, the ground shaking with every rattling echo.

RATTLE! Roll-tic-a-tattle, RATTLE!

I glanced behind me. A mistake. The crowd was still laughing, rustling to the beat, and chasing me, just walking, not even running to catch up. This had to be an illusion, they were gaining! I stared ahead at nothing, and then looked back again. Another bad thing to do. The pack was gone, replaced by one giant Scrub; fifty times my size, taking one step with every beat. I ran and ran, but he didn?t care.

RATTLE! Roll-tic-a-tattle, RATTLE!

The big galoot paused for a moment to open wide his proboscis and suck a breath. Was he going to hurl a giant nut? I ran faster, not looking, not wanting to look another time. I found my steps were taking me backward, not forward, though. What? Then it dawned on me as my feet lifted off the invisible ground entirely. The Scrub was sucking me in! No! I wasn?t going to be eaten! Augh!

But, all the same, I flew through the air towards his open circle of a mouth, kicking all the way. The whole void of the dream I was trapped in seemed to be sucked in with me, and everything closed in around me in a blur as the mask rattled one last time, with an echo that resonated me back to somewhere else. Open your eyes! Open your?




I was on the flower. Skull Kid was levitating just across from me, just where he?d been, and everything was back to normal, but?still, something didn?t feel right. Was everything still purple and black, were there spots in front of my eyes, or?a stunning realization. Everything was tinted red. The whole room looked like someone had splattered it with cranberries or something. None of the colors were right, and some things were bigger and blurrier than they should be.

A hallucination on top of another? No?no, this felt real?I think.

Skull Kid cocked his head to one side, examining me studiously like I was a statue or something, and then with a bob, started laughing uncontrollably and pointing at me.

The water underneath the flowery lily pad tickled my toes, and that?s when I knew something was terribly wrong. I was wearing boots. I shouldn?t be able to feel water on my feet at all. So I looked down at the water. And when the ripples cleared, my reflection stared up at me. Seeing what I saw, my heart stopped beating. I hadn?t been hypnotized, brainwashed, or anything else like that, I had been hexed. Terribly.

Two sad, red eyes glinted back up at me from the water. They were set in a big round wooden head, with a frowning proboscis stamped on the end. A massive mop of blond hair sat on top of the rotund mass of head, topped by an enormous green hat I knew should be smaller. The body of the creature I saw was puny, with weak wooden arms, stubby wooden legs, and a small pair of green pants, my tunic gone. Yes, that was me. And the me I was looking at was a disgusting cursed hybrid of human and Deku Scrub. Turned into a SCRUB?!

?Gah! Ugh! Uh-uh?no! NOOOOOOOO!? I screamed, but all that emerged was a garbled string of squeaks and squibbles from a face that was shaking back and forth like an unsteady coconut! I put my hands to my head in panic. Nonononononononono!

Skull Kid had the nerve to laugh, ?Hee, hee! Now that?s a good look for you! All because you were worried about your silly old things, you?ll stay here in this bog looking like that forever! Hah! Poor, stupid you! Well, it?s been fun, but, I guess I must scoot!?  

He fell back like he was rolling on the floor laughing, but, while still floating in the air, he flew slowly backwards toward an open door, a giant wooden slab in this underground marsh. I ran after him, sloshing through the now waist-high stream to catch him. As if I could do anything. Without my sword, he could vaporize me or, I don?t know, worsen my already pitiful condition!

One of his fairy friends, the white one, nodded to him and flew back toward me. Just ignore her and run for the door, I reminded myself. Easier said than done. A bare ten feet from the door, the fairy rushed me and started poking me in the eye, and bonking me on the head. I remembered Navi doing this to various monsters, but I?d never imagined what it felt like. Every time it hit me, my already red vision would blind me red, it was like looking at the sun or something, my brain was bleeding! Ah! Make it stop!  

I landed on my back and the little fairy growled at me like a kitten or something and bobbed in a ?That?ll teach him? gesture. Skull Kid disappeared through the door and the purple fairy glanced back, just inside the entrance. Wings spread in alarm, he shouted,

?S-s?Sis!?

And then the door slammed shut.

I looked up from the ground at the other fairy. It spread its wings and shouted in alarm too, ?Whoa! Whoa now! Whoa! Whoa!?

She rushed the door and pressed up against it manically, calling. I took the opportunity to dust myself off.  

?No, no!? she screamed, ?Whoa! Whoa! Skull Kid, wait for me! I?m still here! Tael, no! You can?t leave without me, Tael!?

Boing, boing, boing, boing, boing! The ?sister? fairy bounced against the door, but she might have well been trying to pry the door open with a fork, there was no way, she was going to open it that way. She sagged a bit, tired, and then angrily turned to me.

?YOU!? she fluttered up to my face and hovered near my eyes threateningly, ?If I wasn?t dealing with you, I wouldn?t have gotten separated from my brother! It?s your fault, you jerk!?

?What? MY fault?? I defended.

?I don?t know what you?re saying, kid. You sound weird.?

?Well, excuse me!? I shouted. Not like she knew what I was saying, apparently.

?Well, don?t just sit there, Deku Boy! Do something!?

I paused. Help? Help the cohort of my aggressor? And she was threatening me, for that matter. Help her?

She snarled, ?Why are you looking at me like that? What, is there something stuck on my face? Will you stop staring and open that door for me? Now!?

?You don?t have a face for one thing, and for another, why should I help you??

?Oh shut up, you two-foot big-nosed munchkin. Please?C?mon, a helpless little girl is asking you, think of it that way?and hurry up!?

I took a step toward the door. Should I? Was there a way to hold her back if I could go through? No, if I was going in, so was she. Fair was fair.

She stared at the door like it was as cursed as me and whispered, ?Oooh. Ohhhh, Tael. I wonder?I wonder if that child will be alright on his own??

I pulled and yanked and opened the door, racing down the corridor. The fairy could catch up if she wanted.

?With him???

Pleasure to write....now the question remains...will it ever be read?

[Husse]

Well, I think Darkseid has lost interest, and HoH was unfairly banned, so...

What do you mean about not agreeing with my description? Of what? The past? Deku vision? What?

[Octorok]

"A heartwrenching tale of woe..."

"A delightfully witty and uncensored piece of work that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next..."

"This story will tug at your heart-strings and have you crying like a baby..."

-Furious Octorok, Holodrum Times

[Husse]

Wow, Mr. Oktorok sir, I feel appreciated!

Not that I thought I'd ever say that to an Oktorok...

NEXT CHAPTER!!!

Darunia softens here, not the you-know-what that he was earlier. I like the foreshadowing...it just popped into my head to have the tradition loving Goron leader start talking about becoming a man and his philosophy on the whole thing. Again, not sure if maybe I'm not making it too obvious...

Oh, and if I may add, Boss is very stupid. Not much else to say, other than it might be a while before any more chapters are up, will probly post WW three chapters after this. They aren't as...exciting? as MM, partly because WW starts off slow anyway.

27
A Favor for the Gorons
Link

 
?Is it open?? I asked the Goron guardsman, back at his post at the King?s Chambers.
 
I had made it safely through the tunnel, concentrating on the song to keep my mind off the sad creature I had met. Once back, the Goron with no name gave me quite a surprise.
 
?Yes!? he smiled, ?I got the door open for you!?
 
Navi shrugged, ?It looks shut to me?oh!?
 
?What?? I asked, and then glanced down.  
 
The poor Goron had his foot in the door. Literally. He?d apparently managed to sneak it in the doorway while it was open, and keep it slightly ajar with his smashed foot the rest of the time.
 
?That doesn?t hurt?? I asked.
 
?A little,? he admitted, ?But if I think about something else, the pain goes away, and that means my foot?s getting better.?
 
I stifled a laugh, ?Please, by all means, help me open the door and take your poor foot out before you break it.?

Together we lifted the great stone slab, and I walked into the chamber, fingering my instrument. As soon as Darunia saw me, he roared and stomped toward me in outrage.
 
I stuttered,  

?If-it-pleases-the-King-I-would-like-to-play-him-a-little-song-to-put-his-mind-at-ease!? It didn?t come out at all the way I?d planned it.
 
He stood stolid for a moment, deciding, then finally growled, ?Play.?
 
And so I did. I played Saria?s Song, the fastest and happiest song I knew. I looked up.
 
Darunia was frozen where he?d been standing. The very corners of his mouth twitched spasmodically, as if trying desperately not to smile. ?Play again,? he said.
 
As soon as I started to play, Darunia bobbed his head up and down, started tapping his foot, and broke into a big smile. I had to keep my breath and keep playing, even as Darunia started to dance. He hopped on one foot, then the other. He twisted side-to-side, and left and right. And finally, as he made himself dance like I was sure he had done a thousand times before the recent catastrophe, he laughed.
 
That?s what I was waiting for. But nevertheless, I kept playing, just to watch him dance.
 
?Oh!? he shouted, ?Oh-oh! Oh-oh-ohohohoh! C?mon! Oh yes, c?mon and dance! HOT! What a hot, hot beat! YAHOO!?  
 
Finally I had to stop for a breather. And as soon as I did, he did too, but this time he was smiling at me. He laughed, ?Hey! Oh, hey! What a nice tune! Just like that,? he snapped his fingers, ?My depression is all gone!?
 
I snapped back, ?Just like that??
 
?Well, I know I should be worried, but something just came over me! I wanted to dance like crazy! I am Darunia! Have me met? Don?t answer that, I think we have, but we weren?t on very good terms, were we? I apologize. I am the big boss of the Goron race! Now, was there something you wanted to ask me about??
 
?Yes, sir,? I nodded, ?I know this is a big thing to ask of you, but I need to borrow your Spiritual Stone. The red one.?
 
?What? You want the Spiritual Stone of Fire, too? My hospitality isn?t enough?? he bellowed, then laughed, ?You will sleep on the softest Goron bed tonight, and dine on the finest rocks, my luxury, to you.?
 
?I?m very grateful and all, Mr. Darunia??
 
?Big Brother.?
 
?Big Brother, but rocks aren?t really my thing, and I?m kind of in a hurry. All I need of you is the Spiritual Stone, if you don?t mind, sir.?
 
He waved his hand, ?The Spiritual Stone of Fire, which we refer to as the Goron Ruby,?
 
?Oh, it?s a ruby!? I said, ?I was wondering what you Gorons called it.?
 
?You may also call it the Goron Ruby, but regardless, it is our races? hidden treasure. I can?t just give it over to you that easily, because I like your music? Goodness no!?
 
?Then tell me what I can do for you. Anything at all, and I?ll do it.?
 
?Why do you want it so badly??
 
I bit my lip. Good question. ?I?m on official business. I?m carrying out an order from the Princess. I have to borrow the stone from you as part of my mission.?
 
?But why?? he pressed.
 
?That?s a secret.? I sighed, ?I can?t tell anyone specifically what they?re being used for, but I promise it won?t be harmed.? I wasn?t totally sure of that, but I had to guess.
 
?But why?? he demanded.
 
?What other reason do you want me to give you?? I sure wasn?t going to tell him about the location of the Sacred Realm?s entrance or what the keys were to the Door of Time. That?s what had brought Ganondorf into this mess in the first place.
 
?I don?t want to know what the stone would be used for,? he growled, ?I do trust my Sworn Brother, the King, you know. I?m wondering why you?re working for the Princess, forest boy.?
 
?You know about the forest?? I gulped.
 
?Somewhat,? he replied, ?I recognize green, anyway.?
 
?I?m working for the Princess because I?m carrying out the last wishes of the forest guardian, who was murdered by a conspirator against my mission.?
 
My reply sounded solid. There was just one problem with it.
 
?I suppose that makes sense,? Darunia replied, ?I apologize. I really shouldn?t be interested in foreign affairs. The Gorons have their own problems, after all. But I have a favor to ask of you, then. If you want a big thing, you must do a big thing, no??
 
?What?? I asked anxiously.
 
?If you want it so badly, why don?t you destroy the monsters inside the Dodongo?s Cavern and prove you?re a real man? You do man?s work, you get a man?s reward.?
 
I grimaced. Slay monsters? Slay lots of monsters? And how would I even get in?
 
Darunia continued, ?That way, everyone will be happy again, I will give you anything you want, even the Spiritual Stone you so desire, and you will gain something else as well.?
 
?And that would be?? I asked.
 
?It will teach you something about being a real man. Every Goron goes through a test of manhood at your age, and I believe every creature should.?
 
?With all due respect, I don?t age,? I shrugged.
 
?Well then, you?ll be a little man,? he scowled, ?Size has nothing to do with maturity. At least, it shouldn?t. Now, how do you get in, that?s the problem??
 
?That?s what I mean,? I groaned, ?I?d be glad to carry out this task, but the cavern?s blocked. Unless there?s a small crack in the plugging rock.?
 
?Well, you already possess something Boss and his workers do not, and that?s keen intelligence. You seem intuitive enough, you should be able to figure it out, but there?s still one thing Gorons are blessed with that you aren?t.? At this, he started digging through some treasures in a small stone bowl at the foot of his throne.
 
I waited, and he pulled out two small golden objects, and continued speaking, ?I?m not really giving you these in return for anything, but that doesn?t matter as much, I suppose. Take them anyway. Gorons are strong. You are not. See that Bomb Flower on my wall, there? Pull it.?
 
There was a small Bomb Flower growing on the King?s wall like a stylish fungus near me. I pulled, yanked and tugged at it, but its roots were deep. It wouldn?t move at all. I shrugged.
 
He nodded, ?Just as I thought. Too scrawny to even blow up the rock, as I hope you will. But with these bracelets I give to you, it will be easy.?
 
He tossed me the bracelets, and I caught them with an oof! They were my size all right, but very heavy. They were pure gold, very expensive looking, with the shape of the Goron?s Ruby that we had seen inscribed on the pedestal inscribed on them in black as well. It looked like a gold rosebud had been carved into them, and then dyed black, to set off the shape. After a little effort, I managed to slip them on my wrists.  
 
And, quite suddenly, the heavy feeling was gone. The bracelets hung on my wrists like they were made of tin. Instinctively, I reached for the Bomb Flower, and it popped loose from the wall like a daisy. Darunia yelled and took it from me, burying it in the dirt as it hissed. There was a dull thump, and he glared at me for a moment before bursting out in laughter.
 
?Remember,? he called, ushering dangerous little me out of his room, ?Whenever you pluck a Bomb Flower, it?s sure to explode. Now, destroy the monsters in Dodongo?s Cavern, and then we can talk about that Spiritual Stone!?
 
With a booming laugh, he slammed the door, and I ran all the way up the stairs to the outside of the city, where Boss and his hired hands were trying again and again to explode the rock on the trail far below. A Goron plucked a flower and rolled down the hill, his teammates cheering him on until a dull boom was heard and the Gorons shrugged and tried again.
 
But to my chagrin, there was only one flower left.
 
?Wait!? I shouted, ?Mr. Boss, you only have one try left. Is there a better way of doing this??
 
Boss scoffed, ?Of course not! Now, step back, I?m going to take this one myself!?
 
Not thinking clearly, I beat him to the last flower and plucked it. It was hissing, Boss was shouting, the other Gorons, panting and blackened, just stared, and I couldn?t roll down the hill.
 
I panicked. Oops. No one, for obvious reasons, was offering to take the hissing bloom away from me. An explosive of this caliber may only stun a three hundred pound Goron, but short, fragile me? I stumbled backward looking for somewhere, anywhere to toss it lest I be violently scarred for life. I found myself teetering suddenly, on a ledge at the edge of the tiny garden. I turned and glanced down below.
 
And nearly burst out laughing.  
 
All that wasted effort from Boss, all those wasted flowers, and all those tired Gorons, all for nothing. They must have known the path was too long and winding to make it down to the cave before their flower exploded, so why didn?t they try something else. Such as, maybe, look down from the ledge where their garden was precariously perched?
 
Because there was the blocked cave, a scant fifty feet or so, right below me. The path swung around the mountain and ended right here, right under Boss? nose. With a sigh of relief, I calmly dropped the bomb off the ledge. There were a few seconds of confused silence before the loud ?boom? was heard, cracking the blocking rock, and starting a fissure down its side that spread until the rock was nothing but chunks of boulder lying scattered.
 
Boss frowned, and then straightened up like he?d been stung by a hornet, ?Ooooooh!? he muttered, ?We should?ve thrown the bomb from the cliff!?
 
?Oooooooh!? the Gorons agreed.
 
Navi and I walked down the path, waving farewell to the Gorons and shaking our heads, until it twisted around to the cavern mouth below. As we ran, determined, into the drafty dank tunnel, never-ending, deeper and deeper into the foot of the mountain, I began to get the creeping feeling that my little journey was only just beginning.

And that's all folks!

[Octorok]

It has good morals in it

Not really. But it was a heartwarming adventure nonetheless!

[Husse]

Huh? What? I'm lost....

Although I DO try to put some good themes in the story. Courage, Kindness, Killing swiftly and brutally....