Chapter 26
Song of Storms
It had been a long trek back to the Kokiri grove. Many of the Kokiri were malnourished and suffering from a variety of ailments, from horrible rattling coughs to blistered and infected feet. Moriko provided healing to those who needed it, while Link carried one girl who fell asleep as they neared the grove. Others required coaxing from their fairies to keep them moving at all as they kept glancing off into the trees as if certain they were being pursued.
When Link approached the Great Deku Tree's grove, he saw Forenz perched anxiously amidst the lower branches of a tree on the clearing's edge. The boy gave an ecstatic whoop and scrambled to meet the others equally pleased to see him. The sight of their tired but happy faces, rejuvenated a little by the sight of their home, left Link with a feeling of elation that seemed almost foreign.
The celebration was short-lived. Some of the Kokiri soon settled down to sleep around the Sheikah's fire, while others either made their own fire or found a niche amidst the knotted roots of the trees surrounding the glade. Before long, the clearing quietened once more, and left to his thoughts, Link's brief relief slowly drained away. He found the silence oppressive and stifling, even though it was one he knew he should be accustomed to. He should have felt proud, and he had, for a brief time, but now, he found himself preoccupied by recent memories. He tossed and turned on the bedroll he'd laid out beneath a tree. Sleep came eventually, but his mind refused to be silenced as nightmares plagued his dreams.
A spear, not stained with Mido's blood but Saria's. Running through an endless fog, the Phantom's laughter echoing around him. Running... suddenly, he was running not through woodland but ruined buildings. Crackling flames rose around him, and the mocking laughter was replaced with screams. He stumbled, tripping over the body of a young girl. Only she wasn't dead this time. She looked up at him, her eyes angry and accusing.
"Why didn't you help me?" she demanded. "You left me to die! What kind of a hero are you?"
"I'm sorry," Link cried out, stumbling back and turning to flee. He had to get away. To escape the smoke, the flames, and the corpse-strewn street that was slick with blood.
Link screamed and ran, desperate to escape, but he didn't get far. He almost ran headfirst into Saria, stopping just short of crashing into her. He would have been relieved to see her if she hadn't been looking at him with a death glare that she never reserved for him (or anyone else, for that matter).
"Why didn't you save her?" Saria demanded with stinging reproach. "You left her to die!"
Link stepped back. There was no warmth in Saria's face now, no smile, and her voice was colder than winter's chill. Link took an involuntary step backward. He heard a structure groan, the sound rising above the crackling flames. He looked to his left and saw a wall leaning dangerously toward him. The groaning intensified, and with a resounding crash, the wall gave way. Burning timber and blackened stone rushed towards him. He screamed a warning, seeing Saria standing in danger's path, but then the debris slammed into them both and sent the world into blackness.
Link woke, gasping for air, his heart racing frantically. It took him a moment to realise that he was safely within the confines of a Kokiri grove, and instead of flames, he beheld a star-speckled sky bathed in silver moonlight.
Sheik stood against the tree he was sleeping under, and the moonlight cast a faint glow upon her face, revealing the concern in her red Sheikah eyes.
"Are you well?" she asked. "You were yelling like the demon king himself was after you."
"I'm fine," Link lied as he pulled himself up, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. His dreams mocked any vestige of courage he possessed, making him feel weak before a guide who saw him as something more than he felt.
Seeking solace in the quiet night, Link looked out at the clearing, but the shifting shadows of the trees only made him feel more uneasy. Could he see shapes lurking between the trees? No. He shook his head and sighed.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you," he offered.
"You did not," Sheik said, and Link noticed an odd hesitancy in her usually assured tone. She shifted position, looking towards the meadow. "I, too, couldn't sleep. Would you... care to come and sit by the fire for a while?"
She gestured towards the nearby fire, which Link realised for the first time must have been stoked recently.
"You've been awake a while?" he asked, surprised.
"Not that long," Sheik answered. "Dawn is not far off. Shall we?"
Link hesitated, aware that she was awaiting his response, but then he relented, deciding he could use some measure of warmth and a little comfort.
They sat silently, the fire's warmth easing the night's chill. In the firelight, he saw Sheik's expression better than before – worry lines on her brow, a slight tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers idly tapped at something hidden within her clothes, only to stop when she caught him looking.
"Did you get any sleep?" he asked at last, knowing she, too, carried burdens of her own.
"You are far from the only one plagued by dreams," Sheik said after a short pause, reaching down to a small bundle of supplies that included her harp. "To be a Sheikah is to be hunted. The night is both a friend and a foe."
Her unsettling words drew Link's focus away from the fire. It seemed strange to see this side of her. Not a warrior devoid of feeling but a woman with fears of her own.
"I keep thinking of the night Castletown fell, of everything that has happened," Link said quietly, looking back towards the crackling fire, imagining the burning buildings. The screams. He barely noticed Navi fly down to land on the log beside him. "I keep seeing..." he closed his eyes for a moment, and though the fire vanished, it was replaced by a memory of Saria's body disappearing in a flash of blazing light. He could still hear the phantom's cruel laughter. "I..." his voice cracked, and he broke off, ashamed at his raw emotion.
"You speak of what happened in the Forest Temple?" Sheik asked, the harp momentarily forgotten in her lap.
Link looked up, the shock jolting him out of his thoughts. He tried and failed to hide his surprise as his jaw opened.
"How-" he began weakly before looking at his fairy. Her anxious, almost guilty expression told him what he suspected. "Navi..."
Strangely, he didn't feel the anger he expected to. Instead, there was resignation as he realised there was no hiding his pain. She had read him as easily as a scroll meant for children.
"I'm sorry, Link," Navi's voice was small. "I know the Forest Temple was bad, and after you had already been through so much..." her words started soft, but as she took a breath, they became defiant. "Sheik can help you."
"I'm fine," Link replied testily.
He could almost taste the lie.
Evidently, Navi could sense it too. "No, you're not," she retorted, her voice rising as she took to the air, but still not loud enough to wake those nearby. "You can't lie to me, Link. I'm your fairy."
"Navi, I'm not even Kokiri-" he began, faltering as he recalled the Deku Sprout's words.
Navi flew within an inch of his face, causing him to flinch at her sudden anger.
"I don't care if you're Kokiri or not! You're still my friend," she snapped before taking a deep breath and calming herself. "I love you, Link, and no matter what happens, I always will."
Link's cheeks burned at those words, and he was thankful the night almost hid his reddening ears. He turned his head away from her, shame gnawing away at his gut. He was wrong to be angry at her; she was trying to help. Saria would be giving him a good talking to if she were standing in Sheik's place.
Is she watching us, just like Forenz wondered?
The thought did nothing to quell his shame. Whatever had happened to her little warrior? Link the brave, stout defender of the woods and bane to pesky woodland critters that dared invade his realm.
"I'm worried," Navi continued. "I want to help you. I don't want to see you tear yourself apart... not like you nearly did at that temple. Please let Sheik help you."
She landed on his shoulder, and Link swallowed as a lump rose in his throat.
"You must not feel ashamed for what happened," Sheik said. "You lost control, but given what happened and that you believed your friend died before your eyes, your reaction was not surprising."
Given Navi and Vaspin's reaction to seeing him hacking the phantom's body into ribbons, Link wasn't sure he agreed with her.
"The main thing is that you do not blame yourself," Sheik continued. "Navi is right. You cannot bottle up everything that happens to you-"
"I don't just bottle everything up," Link muttered, finding it easier to stare at the ground.
Navi made an irate noise. "No," she said. "You become an emotional wreck and make decisions you would not ordinarily make if you were a little more level-headed."
"Like what?" he asked, feeling stung.
"Like charging off into the woods and almost getting lost," she replied bluntly.
He knew she was right but couldn't help feeling angry with her. How could she expect him to be level-headed after everything they'd been through? It wasn't like anyone had prepared him for what he'd face after leaving the Temple of Time. No. He'd simply been told to go and find the Sages, as if it wasn't a big task or likely to be even the slightest bit difficult.
He closed his eyes, breathing through his nose as he tried to direct his thoughts elsewhere. It was true; he'd been thrown into the deep end without being asked if he could swim.
"Do you recall that I told you my family died in the sacking of Castletown?" Sheik asked after a lengthy silence.
"I do," Link said quietly, pointedly not looking at Sheik. That had been back in Ordon not long after his attempt to drown his sorrows in a bottle of Goron Ale.
She continued on regardless, her voice low enough to ensure her words wouldn't carry far. "I was only ten. The same age you were when the Master Sword sealed you away. You wanted to know how I coped? Well, the truth is I did not cope well, not at first."
Link looked up in silent interest at this, which Sheik took as a prompt to continue. "Rin taught me something. How would your loved ones want you to live your life once they were gone? Do you think they would want you to move on and be happy or to tear yourself apart because you cannot stand the thought of living without them?"
Link didn't reply for some time; he knew the answer. Saria would want him to be happy. To move on. The Great Deku Tree would have wanted that; he had implored Link not to grieve for him after all.
"They would want you to move on," he replied quietly.
"That is the strange thing about loss," Sheik murmured. Link wasn't sure if she was addressing him or merely pondering aloud. "You tell yourself you cannot continue, but the pain heals in time. Dwelling on your grief, on your sorrows, is like aggravating a wound so that it bleeds anew, and a wound that cannot heal will only fester."
Link cringed at the mental image this conjured. He turned his gaze to the leafless Deku Tree at the centre of the glade, its lifeless limbs mostly hidden in shadow.
Sheik stared at him quietly as he sat there, staring blankly towards the dead tree. She must have sensed his distress because she wasn't content to leave him alone. Nor did Link think she would until they'd talked things over.
"What was the Great Deku Tree thinking, Sheik?" Link's voice rose, wavering unsteadily. "What was Rauru thinking? Last night, some of those Kokiri were braver than I was." It was difficult to speak through the lump in his throat, and he quickly looked to see if anyone stood nearby. "I saw one boy take on a Blin by belting it with a cup to try and stop it from reaching his friends."
"Only a fool has no fear," Sheik said. "There is no shame in being afraid. Fear cuts deeper than any blade ever can, but you can overcome it in time."
"I haven't overcome anything," Link muttered. "I don't feel courage at all."
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to conquer it. You are the Hero of Time. You have that courage in you even though you may not believe it now," Sheik replied. "The Master Sword would not have chosen you to wield it otherwise."
"I wasn't courageous when I saw Rin kill a Gerudo," Link said, trying to block that awful memory. "I almost passed out." He gave a shaky, mirthless laugh. "How am I supposed to use the Master Sword if I'm going to faint every time I draw blood?"
Sheik sighed, leaning back as she gazed toward the starlit sky, both hands still on her harp. "That is hardly unexpected given the circumstances that have been thrust upon you. You're a ten-year-old in a seventeen-year-old's body. I had time to adapt, and as cold as that might sound, you have not."
"I know," Link sighed. He looked over at Navi, who was gazing at him anxiously. "Navi didn't have a chance to adapt either."
"It won't be easy," Sheik said, still impassive, "But I can train you to control your emotions and focus in a fight. I won't be able to turn you into a trained Sheikah warrior overnight, but I can make a passable effort. In the meantime, get some rest. Dawn is not far off, but you've earned a rest."
"Thanks." Link stood and turned, but before he walked away, he paused, feeling Sheik's gaze on him. "I'll be fine."
He walked back to his bedroll and lay down, rolling onto his side and noticing that Navi had landed upon his shield, which was propped against a tree.
"I'm sorry if I upset you, Navi," he began, hating the pain in his voice. "It's just-"
"I know," Navi interrupted him. "It's alright. I don't blame you." She flew close to his hand. He held out his palm so she could land and was surprised by her warmth. "I won't be far away if you need me."
She flew back to land upon his shield, leaving Link to his thoughts. Distantly, Link could hear the quiet strumming of a harp as Sheik played a peaceful yet lonely melody. Link found it vaguely familiar. His eyes grew heavier as the instrument lulled him off into a dreamless sleep.
~ 0 ~
True to her word, Sheik spent the next few days teaching Link to empty himself of his emotions. His lessons involved imagining a candle flame and feeding his emotions into it until his mind was clear. He focused his awareness inward until all he could sense was his breathing and his steady heartbeat, nothing else. In reality, he was achieving quite the opposite.
Each day, he and Sheik found a quiet spot in the forest, away from the curious eyes of the Kokiri. Rin had remained behind on this occasion, insisting that she needed to finish replenishing her store of potions.
By midday, Link was not achieving the calm void in his mind that Sheik was attempting to teach him. The soft trills and warbles of birdsong drifting through the trees in an entrancing melody did not help him focus. They might have once, but that had been a long time ago.
"You are tense, Link. Try to relax and focus on your breathing," Sheik said.
He couldn't help gritting his teeth at her words, feeling like every instruction reminded him of his ineptitude. Three days they had tried this exercise, and three times he had failed.
With a flustered sigh, he opened his eyes, feeling on the verge of a sarcastic comment or two.
"You try it..." he snapped.
"I have done this many times over the last seven years," Sheik answered, and though her tone was patient, there was a firm edge to it. "Now, let's try again."
Link sighed and tried again.
After another hour, he was still struggling to focus his breathing and empty his thoughts. While he did not succeed, he did manage to fall asleep.
Something tapped his shin, jerking him to awareness. "Focus, Link. Empty your mind," Sheik chided, her voice strained.
"Sorry," Link grunted.
Closing his eyes again, he tried to ignore the loud rumble from his stomach. He doubted Sheik would give him a break so that he could eat. Slowly breathing in and out, he focused on shutting out his surroundings until all he could sense was the rhythm of his heartbeat. He was nearly there, his breathing steady, and then...
A shrill caw cut through the glade, and Link flinched, eyes snapping open as he looked up to observe a crow with a message tube attached to one of its legs. Its ruffled plumage was oily black save for one mottled wing.
"Sheik!" it squawked, startling Link. "Sheik! Sheik!"
"How does that thing know your name?" Navi asked, distaste clear in her voice as she hovered alongside Link.
"It's Rin's," Sheik replied.
The crow called once more, and Sheik whistled in response. As if on cue, the bird swiftly flew down to her so Sheik could snatch the leather tube from it.
Its errand finished, the squawking crow landed with a clumsy thump on Sheik's bag. "Food!" it demanded, snapping its beak at the bag's straps. "Food! Food!"
Sheik glared. "Go hunt your own."
The crow squawked indignantly and dropped an unwelcome gift directly onto Sheik's pack before taking flight.
"That's so unhygienic," Navi muttered before turning her attention to the scroll.
Sheik was already unfurling the scroll before Link could ask what it was, her eyes swiftly scanning its contents. Her jaw clenched as she read, her shoulders tensing ever so slightly.
"What is it?" Navi asked, flying close to Sheik and then hesitating before she could see the scroll, as if unsure if she should be reading it.
Sheik sighed, a sharp exhale.
"The Gorons are threatening a rebellion," Sheik answered, not looking up.
"Rebellion?" Navi asked, looking ready to forgo her earlier reluctance and read the parchment herself. .
"Ganondorf enslaved them," Sheik answered grimly. "They've been working for him under threat of being fed to a dragon. Volvagia."
Volvagia?
Link swallowed hard, feeling any calm he had achieved earlier unravel faster than a ball of twine. He recalled the battle by the drawbridge as Volvagia struggled against Ganondorf's sinister magic, snarling in rage and pain.
"But.." Link coughed, forcing the word past the sudden constriction in his throat. "I thought Volvagia was dead,"
Sheik shook her head and grimaced. "He isn't."
"What happened to him?" Navi asked hesitantly.
"Mind control," Sheik answered, almost spitting the word. "Volvagia now frequents the temple on Death Mountain, the source of his power."
"Darunia hasn't tried to..." Link trailed off, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.
He couldn't bring himself to finish.
Volvagia had been their ally. A friend. How could he even contemplate such an idea?
"Volvagia cannot be killed by ordinary means," Sheik answered, making Link's stomach sink with every word. "Every time Volvagia is wounded, Ganondorf manages to warp him back to the Fire Temple and revive him, but Darunia believes we can use that to our advantage."
"How?" Link asked, confused.
"By ending it." Sheik's voice lowered. "Volvagia cannot truly die. Each wound is mended, its strength restored... and that will happen again unless one ends its curse."
Her gaze shifted to the Master Sword, and quickly understanding her meaning, Link recoiled as if burned.
Navi spoke his terror aloud. "Us? You mean?"
No, Link thought. Take on Volvagia? But...
His last encounter with a fully grown fire-breathing reptile had almost ended with him becoming Dodongo lunch. He could see it lunging forward, recalling the blistering pain of his injured leg. Running through an endless darkness...
An encounter with Volvagia would likely end with him becoming a dragon entree.
"A dragon?" Link asked, his voice barely more than a strangled whisper. "But-" he struggled for words as he recalled Volvagia tossing a Dodongo off the side of a mountain trail. "Even with that sword..."
He'd be little more than a charred corpse.
"Other paths may reveal themselves," Sheik replied, her voice growing sharp. "Necessity breeds invention. No one else can wield that blade except you."
Her eyes never left Link, even as he got up and started pacing. This was insane!
"Sheik is right," Navi said, watching him. "Besides, you swore an oath to become a sworn brother, didn't you?"
Link whirled on her, halting her as she flew towards him.
"How?" he asked, disbelief warring with desperation. "How can you even say that... you were there! You saw..."
Navi fluttered closer, unperturbed by his outburst. "Darunia needs your help, Link," she said softly, "And you are a Sworn Brother. Don't squander that honour."
"Whose side are you on?" Link asked, exasperated.
"Darunia already found the Fire Medallion," Sheik added calmly, "So at least you will not have to look for that."
Link laughed, but it was not from humour. "I'm supposed to fight a dragon, and you think I'm worried about that?" He almost kicked the dirt in frustration. "When do I get a choice in this?" Suddenly, the anger drained out of him as he slumped against a tree, squeezing his eyes shut as if that was all it took to deny what he'd heard.
Navi buzzed close to him as he opened his eyes, but he looked away, preferring to stare at the ground.
"Who was it that did a suicidal run into a giant Gohma queen?" Navi asked, looking directly into Link's eyes.
Link sighed. He didn't want this. "I took her by surprise-"
Navi didn't relent. "Then you took on a giant lizard-"
"-With your help."
It had been a stupid lizard anyway, dumb enough to jam itself in a tunnel barely wide enough to accommodate its girth and then swallow several Goron bombs.
"I was unconscious, Link. Remember?" Navi reminded him, "And Darunia told me you found the way out afterwards, through a tunnel that must have been a mile long."
"But-"
"You even tried to take on a Gerudo with nothing but a dagger... more than once! I bet you didn't think you could do that, did you?"
Link stepped away from the tree, gritting his teeth. "Things were different back then, Navi. Besides, it didn't end well when I tried to take on Ganondorf, remember?"
Both fairy and charge stared at each other while Sheik stood back, observing as Navi took charge.
"My point is, Link, you can do it," Navi persisted.
"No, I can't."
Navi made a noise of frustration. 'Yes, you can!"
Link looked at Navi stubbornly, which only infuriated the buzzing sprite. "Alright, fine! Why don't we go and hand in your resignation to Zelda or the Goddesses? Or both even."
"Navi," Sheik's voice was a reprimand.
"How do you expect me to take on a dragon?" Link demanded of them both, raising his voice. "Ever since I first left the woods, I've been told what to do, and so many times I've nearly died because of it! Not that I'd expect a Sheikah to care."
Sheik actually looked hurt then, and a deafening silence fell between them. Breathing hard and unable to ignore the reproachful look on Navi's face, Link spun around, intent on walking off to find some solitude in the woods.
"Did you know Darunia even named his son after you?" Sheik asked, her tone soft.
Link stopped short, the question snagging him like the branches of a thornbush. He turned, slow, wary. "He did?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
Sheik met his gaze, chin lifting a fraction. "To honour the boy who braved a nightmare to save his people. Or so the Goron elder told me."
Link flinched as though struck. "I'm not... that's not who I am now."
Sheik's voice dipped low. "And your friend, Saria? She confronted a demon, knowing that it might be her end. All to help her people. To help you." The last part was a quiet accusation. "By letting her courage go to waste, you dishonour her."
Link's jaw clenched, about to retort, but he stopped, Sheik's words cutting a stinging blow.
What would Saria think of you now? He thought. Maybe Mido had a good reason to call you a wimp.
Feeling ashamed, Link cast his eyes on the ground. He swallowed hard. Sheik was right. The Sage of the Forest had risked her life to save the Kokiri, and Mido had died trying to help her.
"The way of the hero is a difficult path to tread," Sheik said more softly, almost apologetically. "If I could take that burden from you, I would."
Link swallowed, the tightness in his throat unrelated to his hunger. "No." The word was a rasp. "It's alright." Still reeling from the sting of her recent words and his own self-admonishment, he murmured in a voice almost too soft to be his own. "It's mine to bear, like you said."
Returning to his sword, he reached for the Master Sword, feeling a weariness beyond words as his fingers brushed the sword's crossguard. "What you said... I appreciate it, but I wouldn't wish this burden on anyone." He gripped the hilt of his blade, and as he lifted it, scabbard and all. "I have to do this."
"You don't have to bear this alone, Link," Sheik said, stepping beside him.
Link adjusted the straps on his swordbelt, and then, without looking at her, he offered quietly. "I guess we better go then."
~ 0 ~
They left late that afternoon with just enough hours left in the day to make it to the edge of the woods before sundown. A soft murmur brushed through the trees as the wind ruffled the leafy canopy, and the only other sound was the soft thump, thump, thump of the two horses. Sheik's horse, a black stallion named Blaze, followed behind Rin. They hadn't found the third horse yet, though the Kokiri were looking for it. Blaze passed through the leafy forest, following Rin's white mare. Both animals were laden with saddlebags. Link had hidden his sword and shield amidst his gear, hoping to avoid arousing suspicion should they pass anyone on the road.
Pausing at the stream where he'd said goodbye to Saria all those years ago, Link let his gaze linger on the bridge as if expecting Saria to appear. The stream beneath it was dry now, a narrow gully strewn with stones. He remembered jumping across those rocks as a child, showing off his confidence to Saria. The memory brought a sharp pang of longing, a yearning for those younger days. How was it that he'd felt so much stronger then?
Soon, the trees were thinning. Link was sure they could not have reached the edge of the woods yet, and as they came to the edge of the trees, Link found himself at the edge of a scarred landscape. He had known what to expect, but the sight still chilled him.
Scorched earth, blackened and barren, now ran across the once vibrant hills. Tree stumps dotted the ravaged hillsides, shredded branches scattered about them. The cold nipping deep into Link had little to do with the wind.
"The Gerudo harvested the woods for their fires," Sheik explained, regarding the scarred land with a grim expression. "Be glad the rest of the woods did not meet this fate."
Link looked northward to where Death Mountain's tall peak peered over the treetops. That was when he first noticed the strange ring of glowing red clouds wrapped around the peak, almost as if the heavens themselves were burning. There was something else there, too: a dark shape against the sky that was slowly growing in size.
"What is that?" Link asked, pointing towards the approaching 'thing.'
"What?" Rin asked. She slowed down, drawing her horse's reins as she walked alongside Link's saddle.
He pointed to the odd figure. It gained more clarity as it drew closer, forming a serpentine shape scintillating with millions of small rubies. Or at least that was Link's first impression. Then he spotted the black, bat-like wings and realised what he was looking at.
"A dragon," Navi breathed in awe.
The dragon was diving, reminding Link of a bird descending towards its prey.
"There aren't any dragons in Hyrule," Sheik commented, her voice stiffening. "Except one."
Rin realised, too. " Back to the trees!"
Sheik obeyed her mentor, and Link wrapped his hands around her for dear life as she spurred Blaze into a desperate gallop. Navi took refuge in Link's pocket, and as they dashed for the cover of the trees, he almost forgot to breathe.
Sheik rode deftly between the tree stumps, careful to avoid ensnaring Blaze in the underbrush or the thick tangle of tree roots. Riding as fast as they were, a tumble would likely be lethal. Rin covered their retreat, falling back. A blast of magic flew from her outstretched hand, a crackling sphere of energy that shot towards the dragon. Volvagia dodged the attack and kept coming.
Link watched as the dragon tore towards them. Blaze was already beginning to tire, the saddlebags weighing him down. Link considered cutting the bags loose to help the horse, but they were almost at the forest's edge. Surely Volvagia could not follow them into the forest, not with the wards intact. That was when Link realised there was something on top of the dragon. No, not something, someone. They were wearing a mask. A mask in the shape of a skull.
"Navi, tell me that's just another phantom?" Link asked her, desperately hoping it was. As much as he dreaded facing another one, it couldn't be as bad as facing Ganondorf.
"What?" Navi asked, daring a peek out of his pocket. Seeing what he meant, she gave a frightened squeak and then said, "It's him... I'm sure of it. I can sense his power, even from this distance."
Link tried to swallow. That wasn't what he'd wanted to hear.
Another spell left Rin's outstretched hands and streaked towards Volvagia, missing by inches. Her mare, to Link's surprise, kept galloping on without flinching.
Volvagia swept past, diving for Link's horse, his claws bared as he prepared to rake them straight through Blaze's hide.
Blaze galloped swiftly to safety, a thick sheen of sweat upon his coat. Link notched an arrow to his bow and took aim. His first arrow went wide. So did the second one.
"Sheik! He's catching up!" Link warned.
"We're nearly there!" Sheik yelled back.
Link was really contemplating loosening the saddlebags now. It would mean ditching their provisions and most of his gear, but at least they would still be alive.
A blur of trees entered Link's vision. Sheik slowed down, turning Blaze around as both she and Link looked back at the dragon.
"He can't follow us, right?" Navi asked.
As if in answer, a burst of fire erupted from Volvagia's mouth, slamming into a tree that exploded in flames. Volvagia followed another column of flames belching from his mouth. This time, it was directed at Rin.
"RIN!" Sheik yelled as the other Sheikah vanished behind the wall of fire. They heard her horse whinny in fright, but there was no horrible scream of a wounded animal. At least that meant that Rin was alright, or so Link hoped, and he focused his attention on Blaze's path.
Link was still sure the wards would stop Ganondorf. At any moment, he and Volvagia would have to turn back.
Only they kept coming.
Volvagia broke through the trees, crashing through the canopy and diving towards Blaze. Chips of wood, sticks, and branches rained upon the forest floor. The horse broke into a gallop. A large branch slammed into the earth, barely missing Blaze. A few metres to the left and they would've been nothing more than a stain on the forest floor.
"How did he break through the wards?" Link exclaimed.
"Same way as last time?" Navi asked, her voice weak with fear.
Acrid smoke filled Link's nostrils, and suddenly, he was back in Castletown, watching it burn around him. Only it was not the capital of Hyrule that was burning now. It was the Lost Woods—his home. Bile rose in his throat, and he nearly gagged as he forced the vile acid back down.
Now really isn't a good time for that, he growled to himself, hoping Sheik was so busy keeping control of her mount that she wouldn't notice.
Blaze galloped through the woods, nostrils flaring and hooves pounding against the earth. That was when Link realised they were leading the dragon right towards the Great Deku Tree's grove.
Not another name...
Before he could scream a warning or consider luring Volvagia away, Blaze broke through the thickets and into the clearing. Several Kokiri fled toward the Great Deku Tree's meadow, looking back over their shoulders just long enough to glimpse the crackling inferno that erupted behind them.
Link unleashed another arrow as Volvagia burst into the clearing, sending a cloud of splintered wood in front of him. Another column of fire streamed towards them. Sheik rode behind the girth of another Deku tree as Volvagia's flames scorched its trunk.
"We're too exposed!" Navi yelled. "We need to find cover!"
Link looked back to see that not everyone had fled. Forenz yelled at several Kokiri to run towards the Great Deku Tree's meadow, ushering them on as fast as he could. A strange cacophony alerted him to something else approaching, and he stared up towards the canopy. A swarm of screeching birds descended from the treetops, diving towards Volvagia, shrieking and cawing. Birds of all different sizes dove towards the dragon, snapping and clawing at its hide, tearing at eyes and flesh. The sudden frenzy took the beast by surprise. Volvagia snapped at his attackers, but still, they came on.
A voice boomed above the frenzy, and a pulse of energy seemed to wash through the air, chilling Link. As one, Volvagia's attackers withdrew. A burst of fire crashed into the stragglers, sending them plummeting to the earth in a spiralling column of smoke and burnt feathers.
Volvagia looked none the worse for wear, and nor did Ganondorf, but the effect had been enough. No Kokiri remained in the glade.
They must be heading for the Gohma tunnels.
He hoped they were still intact. Although the entrance was still there, he hadn't ventured inside, but if it was, it would provide shelter, and the Gohma had built it to withstand the elemnts.
Link caught Sheik's eye. She was scanning the trees frantically, thinking of some way to escape this situation. They were clearly outmatched. It would have been sensible to flee, but this was not a fight they could run from. Not now.
Without waiting for Sheik, Link leapt off Blaze, bow in hand, and dashed behind one of the surviving treehouses.
"Link! Have you taken leave of your senses?" Sheik yelled after him. "Get back here!"
"I'm not letting him get near the others!" he hollered back, just before another tendril of flame nearly struck Blaze's flank. Sheik cursed, steering the horse out of danger as Volvagia peeked around the side of the tree and unleashed a deep-throated growl.
As they fled in different directions, Volvagia went after Sheik. She was too quick, dashing out of reach of the dragon and its tongues of fire. Desperate to draw Volvagia away from Sheik and the others, Link notched his bow and took aim. He spotted the wound on Volvagia's side, the one caused by the giant dodongo long ago. It was now a long, jagged scar.
Link was about to let his shaft fly when a second dragon burst through the clearing. Its scales scintillated an emerald green, and its wings could have sheltered a dozen horses when fully extended. He was so distracted by this sudden change in fortune that his shot went wide, missing Volvagia completely.
Another dragon?
Link stood gaping in astonishment right before common sense took over. He could just as well be food to this enormous predator. Except it didn't seem to be after him, and as he spotted Moriko nearby, he guessed she was behind its appearance.
Moriko stood beside a tree, her eyes fixed on the emerald dragon as she directed it to attack. Link did not know how she had summoned the creature or if it was just a conjuration of some ancient earth magic.
Moriko's dragon roared a deafening cry, nearly making Link's ears bleed. It lunged forward, teeth snapping shut on Volvagia's neck, sending thick droplets of blood splashing onto the ground.
Moriko's eyes never left the dragon she was somehow controlling.
"My magic may not be enough to stop him, and his power repels even the mightiest woodland spirit," she said, her voice loud and clear in Link's mind. "I will need you to help me."
Link nodded, understanding what Moriko meant. Gripping the bow tighter in one hand, he watched in horrified fascination as the two dragons grappled each other.
He drew his bow taut again and loosed an arrow. It missed the wound, bouncing off the red scales. Volvagia pushed the green dragon back, sending it slamming into a tree, which snapped with a loud crack. The emerald dragon roared. The red hissed and beat the emerald one with a savage swipe to the side. The emerald fell, whipping its barbed tail towards the more powerful red. The barb struck Volvagia's left eye, cutting through it and sending a bloody mess of fluid gushing from the wound. Volvagia roared in agony and stepped back, his head twisting as he writhed in pain.
Link turned back to the Great Fairy. She had slipped out of Ganondorf's sight, but Link could still see her. Her eyes were closed, her face set in a tight grimace, and sweat beaded on her brow. She was struggling.
The two dragons came tumbling and crashing closer to Link's hiding spot. Sheik joined him, keeping a tight hold on Blaze's reins as she rode up to him.
"Link, get on. We need to move back!" Sheik shouted. Link could barely hear her over the duelling dragons, a sound that was getting far closer as Ganondorf drove the other dragon back.
Sheik extended a hand to Link, but he had another idea.
"What about the Master Sword?" he asked. Another swipe from Moriko's dragon slashed across the membrane of Volvagia's wing. "You said we only need that to kill Volvagia."
"You can't face Ganondorf yet; if he didn't harm you, you would be crushed!" Sheik sounded aghast at the idea. "Hurry up and get on."
Resigned, Link grabbed Sheik's hand, letting her pull him up, before they dashed for cover, riding for another tree near Moriko.
Moriko didn't run as the battling dragons approached her hiding spot. Link wondered why before realising that it was probably taking all her strength to maintain the spell. She couldn't run. He had to help her and fast.
Even though Volvagia was bleeding badly and didn't look like he could take much more of a beating, Ganondorf was unscathed. He looked annoyed. Just annoyed, nothing more. Blaze reached the trees, and Link turned back to face the battling dragons. He didn't even have time to notch his bow before a sharp, sickening crack sent a jolt down his spine.
He gasped. The emerald dragon's head hung loosely in Volvagia's maw. A faint, horrible gurgle erupted from its mouth, and the emerald beast went limp, falling to the ground with a thump that sent a tremor through the earth.
He heard Moriko cry out. The Great Fairy was clutching her head, her body braced against the tree as though she were too weak to stand. Moriko fell to her knees, gossamer wings drooping. The violent severing of the bond between her and the dragon had injured her.
Before Link could even scream a warning, a jet of magic shimmering an eldritch blue left Ganondorf's outstretched gauntlet.
"Mother!" Navi screamed.
Moriko barely had time to see what was coming. She shrieked as the spell hit her, engulfing her in a twisting pyre of purple flame.
"No!" Navi screamed. She started flying towards Moriko's body, watching as the smouldering corpse that had once been a Great Fairy slid to the ground.
"Navi... wait!" Link called. "Navi!"
Link dismounted and caught up to Navi in a quick stride before she could fly into Ganondorf's sight. He closed his hand around her, trapping her, and quickly darted behind the wide girth of the Deku tree. Navi's wings beat madly against his hand, but he didn't dare release her.
"No! Let me go this instant! Let me go!" she screamed.
Her shouts ended in a hysterical cry, and he exchanged a glance with Sheik. Her red eyes were like fire.
"Link, I know what you are thinking, but you cannot face him yet," Sheik warned him.
"I know," Link said. The Forest Temple had taught him that, but to leave now would be to betray the Kokiri. They were like family to him, and he wouldn't abandon them to Ganondorf's mercy.
"Is there nothing we can do?" he asked Sheik.
"There is, but it's more likely to harm us than him," Sheik said.
Sheik regretted her choice of words as a flicker of hope showed on Link's face.
"It's still a chance," he said, taking her words like a lifeline.
"I-"
"I know you are hiding, Hero of Time!" came Ganondorf's mocking call. "They call you courageous, but you hide like a coward! Face me, or I will kill every last one of the Kokiri, and I'll make sure you hear when I do."
Link left his refuge. Sheik called him back, but he ignored her, releasing Navi, who took a moment between her sobs to realise what was happening.
Ganondorf sneered as Link stepped into the open. "Always the noble hero," Ganondorf sneered. He drew his sword, a red cape rippling behind him as he strode towards Link.
"I won't let you harm the Kokiri!" Link yelled. "You have caused them enough grief already."
And so long as I breathe, I'm not adding another name...
"Just how do you plan to stop me, Hero of Time?" Ganondorf asked, mockery dripping like venom. "You seem to have forgotten your blade. Without it, you are just another man, and you will die just as easily."
There was a rush of movement from behind Link as Sheik dismounted and dashed to his side. She was gripping the Master Sword, still held within its sheath, which she tossed to him.
"You?" Ganondorf paused mid-stride, his eyes widening in surprise. "I thought I killed you and your kin." Ganondorf sneered then, regaining his composure. "No matter. I'll deal with you as I dealt with the others and with all who defy me."
"You have no right to call yourself King of Hyrule. You murdered the rightful king and heir!" Sheik yelled. If Sheik was afraid, she gave no sign of it. Link swallowed, drawing his sword and gripping it tightly in his hand.
"Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to conquer it," he told himself, trying to ward off the panic that threatened to snare him. "Fear cuts deeper than any blade."
He tried to focus on Sheik's words and shut out the torrent of fear that threatened to overwhelm him. Before he could do anything, Sheik sent a bolt of lightning arcing through the air. Something flickered on the back of Sheik's left hand, but before Link could work out what it was, he was forced to look away as bright tendrils of light crackled towards its target, the air alive and trembling with ethereal energy. Sheik's spell hit Ganondorf square in the chest. He screamed, and Link took the cue to dash forward, intending to plunge the Master Sword into the Gerudo king's heart. He saw a flicker of yellow out of the corner of his eye. He dashed to one side, falling onto his belly as the burst of flames rolled above him, its blistering heat searing his skin.
No sooner did the fiery blast subside than Link pushed himself back onto his feet. Ganondorf was kneeling, one hand clenching his chest, the other his sword. He was breathing hard, and there was shock in those eyes. He looked up, fear on his face as a second brighter blast of magic soared through the air. He raised his hand from his sword, erecting a translucent shield in front of him. The lightning crashed into it, and the barrier rippled.
"The darkness... will prevail!" he hissed. "Don't think you've won, mage. You've only delayed your end."
Just as Link dashed forward, a ring of purple light surrounded Ganondorf and Volvagia. The lightning stopped. Ganondorf regained his feet and stepped towards the rapidly forming vortex.
He was getting away.
"No!" Link screamed.
A wall of fire erupted around the vortex, and Link skidded to a halt, barely avoiding the flames. He was cut off from the Gerudo king. Ganondorf glanced up at Link through the wall of fire. "The Sheikah will not protect you forever, boy. As a punishment for your defiance and theirs, I will revive this dragon and return it to Death Mountain, to the temple where its power is strongest. Each day I will feed it one Goron... Perhaps you can make it before one dies."
With that, Ganondorf disappeared into the shimmering vortex, and the wall of fire vanished. The only trace of their existence was the blackened circle of earth, the grass that once occupied it reduced to ashes. Whatever Sheik had done to him, Ganondorf had escaped.
Link turned back around to ask Sheik what she had done. Only she wasn't standing next to him; she was on the ground. Pale and listless.
Fear choked him then; Sheik was far too still for his liking. He screamed out Navi's name, but the fairy sat beside Moriko's broken body on a tree root. She did not leave the Great Fairy's side, still too stunned to react to the sight of Sheik's limp form.
Link did not want to be alone again, not now. He fell to his knees beside her.
Oh Goddesses, please, no! Sheik, please don't be dead!
Whatever animosity he had felt towards the Sheikah after waking up in Ordon was gone now. He did not want to be alone, and she had just saved his life.
Remembering what Saria had taught him long ago, he removed one of his gauntlets and pressed a finger against her throat. At first, he couldn't feel anything, and he panicked.
Oh no... no. He searched again for a heartbeat.
After a moment of frantic searching, he finally felt a heartbeat, slow but rhythmic.
Link's relief flickered and died faster than it came. Sheik's pulse was slow and far too weak.
To his relief, Rin burst through the clearing. Her face went white at the sight of Link kneeling beside Sheik.
"Where's Ganondorf?" she asked, dismounting from her mount and striding quickly over to Link.
"He got away," Link answered. "Volvagia too... Sheik's hurt-"
Rin was already kneeling by Sheik's side, one hand placed upon the younger Sheikah's brow.
"Is she-"
"She will live," Rin said softly. "But I will need to tend to her now..." She looked up at him before her gaze shifted to the burning forest. Several trees that had survived the sacking of the village were aflame, and only the Deku trees seemed relatively unharmed. "Boy, pass me your instrument."
"What-" Link said blankly, his mind racing so that collecting his thoughts was like struggling against a fast-flowing current.
"Your ocarina!" Rin said, her voice snapping Link to attention. "The one the princess gave you!"
He complied without a word, handing the instrument to Rin. No sooner had she begun, Link felt something shift in the air, as if something unseen had rushed past, disturbing the wind in its passage. To Link's utter astonishment, storm clouds began to drape the land in shadow. A soft breeze whipped his hair, and rapidly, the wind rose into a billowing tempest. Within moments, tendrils of lightning were crackling across the sky, and fat raindrops descended from the heavens. A distant hiss erupted from the fire, and plumes of steam rose into the air, thick sheets of rain threatening to drown the land below.
Rin carried Sheik into the refuge of a nearby house; Link could almost forget that he was getting soaked as he watched the water descend from the sky.
The Ocarina of Time can do that?
Navi was forced to retreat from the fallen Great Fairy's body and into the shelter of Link's tunic. To their surprise, flames began to flicker across the emerald dragon's body. It quickly enveloped its body, and Moriko's apparition was gone, reduced to a pile of dust and ashes. The wind carried the creature's remains while thick sheets of rain washed the rest away.
Rin lay Sheik down on a bed, and Link joined her after the brief spectacle with the dragon. As Rin continued tending to Sheik, she stirred briefly, her eyelids fluttering open.
At that moment, Sheik spoke a single word - a name Link recognised. Then she closed her eyes again, drifting back into unconsciousness. Recalling what Rin had said about the ocarina just a few moments earlier, he almost gasped.
"How did you do that?" he asked Rin instead, gesturing towards the thundering gale outside.
"It's called the Song of Storms," she answered. "It was well known amongst my people."
Rin didn't look up from Sheik. The woman's face was ashen, her breathing barely discernible. Water dripped from her blonde hair and tunic from the sudden burst of rain.
"Will Sheik be alright?" Link asked.
Rin nodded. "It was a close thing."
It took Link a moment to form enough words to explain what had transpired. During that silence, he looked out the door as the fire sputtered and died beneath the deluge that befell it. He explained quickly, remembering what Ganondorf had threatened to do should Link not fight Volvagia.
Each day, I will feed it one Goron.
There was no way he could make it there in one day.