Chapter 5 - Instructions
Something in Link’s head told him to turn around. He spun on his heel and came face to face with-"Flarnon!" Zelda cried. "What are you doing here? Leave us alone!"
Flarnon? Link thought, puzzled.
"My dear princess," the Stalfos said. "How lovely it is to see you again!"
"Cut it out Flarnon," Zelda snapped. "Just go away!"
"But I am afraid it is not that simple," Flarnon replied. "You see, the little forest girl clued us in to a bit of very useful information that we would just love to present to the master."
"You can’t even talk to him! He’s in the Realm!" Zelda yelled, stepping up to the Stalfos.
Flarnon glared down at Zelda. "Don’t be so close-minded Zelda," he hissed. "I believe you are wrong."
Zelda gasped and stepped back. "But, how- I mean, where did he get the power- and-" she stammered.
"These petty facts are of none of your concern," Flarnon said, grinning evilly. "What should matter to you is that Ganondorf is back, and will soon have the power of Light."
"No," Zelda said in disbelief. "They’ve found the Sage." Zelda hung her head.
"Exactly, dear girl. And soon you will meet myself and the Sage again," he threatened. He put his mouth next to Zelda’s ear and whispered, "We will destroy you."
An ear-piercing scream caught Link’s ear. "Shut her up, will you?" Flarnon yelled. Link turned around and noticed a group of Stalfos, and one of them was holding Kyrin by the collar.
Link drew his sword and stepped up to Flarnon. "Let her go," he demanded.
Flarnon looked surprised. "Well if it isn’t the Hero of Time. I believe I have a grudge to settle with you boy. But I suppose it will have to wait." The Stalfos stepped back, snapped his bony fingers, and was gone.
Malon struggled to get out of the ropes. She was very uncomfortable and her arm was starting to itch. She sighed in defeat. She hadn’t been able to sleep all night. She was so worried about her father. And why hasn’t anyone found me yet? Better question: where am I? She knew she had been kidnapped, but where was this place she was being kept? She couldn’t tell. She knew Razi wouldn’t say, and there were no windows. A squeaky sound caught her ear, and she looked up to see Razi coming in the door.
"Good morning, dear captive," he said, pulling off his eye patch. "I trust you slept well?"
Malon ignored him.
"Well, good news. I posted the ransom note and you should be out of here as soon as I get paid," he said. He spat on the floor.
Malon crinkled her nose in disgust. "Didn’t your mother ever teach you any manners?" Malon asked.
Razi stepped closer to her. "Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to be a nosy brat?"
"My mother is dead!" Malon shrieked. Razi stepped back.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"No you’re not!" Malon screamed. "You don’t care at all! You’d probably kill me if someone paid you enough! You’re just a heartless monster!" She started crying softly, her head hung.
She looked up quizzically, still sniffling, just in time to see Razi fly out the door.
Link looked around. All the Stalfos were gone. And so was Kyrin. Zelda was quietly crying; Navi was on her shoulder. Dorian looked very confused and scared. Link had forgotten that Dorian had never seen a Stalfos before. Suddenly the Deku Tree broke the silence.
"Well," he said, "that was not good."
Link stepped up to the tree. "What did they want here? Who was that guy?"
"That was Flarnon, Stalfos captain and Ganondorf’s second in command," the Tree replied.
"Ganondorf?" Link asked, shocked. "But he’s-"
"No he’s not, Link," Zelda said, wiping her eyes. "He’s back. He needed the power of the Sages to reopen the seal on the Realm. He killed Rauru, but Rauru was too weak and didn't have enough power left. So he went after Saria. He got most of her power, Link, she’s very sick. That’s why I came here, to get the antidote, but it might be too late…" Zelda trailed off. Link was very worried.
"Rauru is dead," he said, not really believing it. "And Saria-"
"She is fine Link. I sense it. She will be okay if Zelda can return with the antidote in time," the Deku Tree said.
"But what did they want with Kyrin?" Link asked, still trying to understand.
The Deku Tree sighed. "Kyrin," he began, "is the new Sage of Light."
"But she's a Kokiri," Link tried to correct him. "Only a Hylian can be…" he trailed off, suddenly realizing what was going on.
"Wha- what happened?" Dorian stammered.
The Deku Tree sighed. "Zelda, Link, I think you’d better leave. I need to explain a few things to Dorian."
Malon had been waiting for hours, but Razi hadn’t returned. She was getting quite hungry and very tired, but her head hurt too much to try to sleep. She wondered if that should have been possible.
Suddenly Razi burst back through the door. Malon jumped a little, frightened. He walked over to her and- cut her ropes? Yes, he was cutting her free! She would get to go home…yet, she sat still in her chair.
Razi stepped back. "Go on," he mumbled. "You’re free. I’m letting you go."
Malon didn’t budge. For some reason, she couldn’t.
"Go on, get out of here!" Razi shouted through clenched teeth. He stomped into his room and slammed the door.
Malon was confused. She walked over to the door, turned the knob slowly, and stepped outside and-much to her surprise, into the shade of a huge oak tree.
It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen- like a secluded forest untouched by humans and preserved the way the goddesses had intended for eternity…
But she had no idea where she was.
She had no other choice. She walked back inside. She would have to ask Razi how she could get home. Great, the guy who tried to kill me is the only one who can help me. Malon knocked on his door quietly. There was no answer. Malon took a deep breath and walked into Razi’s room. He was sitting at a desk, staring out the window. Malon coughed to get his attention. He snapped out of his daydream and looked at her.
"I thought I told you you could leave," he snapped.
"Look, Razi," Malon said. "I am really sorry for upsetting you and for being a nosy brat-"
"You weren’t being a brat. I overreacted is all," Razi interrupted.
"Why did you kidnap me?" Malon blurted. She cringed. She hadn’t meant to say that, but it just came out.
Really, Malon, you should get back to the ranch."
"Well, I," Malon stammered. "I don’t know how to get home. I don’t know where I am."
"You are at Lake Hylia," Razi said. "You should know your way home from here." He turned back to the window.
"Lake Hylia?" Malon wondered out loud. "But the only house on Lake Hylia belongs to that professor guy."
"The only visible house on Lake Hylia belongs to the professor, and that’s on the other side of the lake," Razi mumbled.
"Visible? You mean this place is invisible? No wonder no one found me," Malon said.
"Well, I’m an outlaw. Can’t let them find me, you know," Razi muttered.
"What is wrong with you?" Malon asked, not caring if she was being nosy. "Why are you letting me go? Don’t you need the money?"
Razi sighed again. "Just go home."
Link was staring straight ahead. Zelda couldn’t tell if he was angry or just sad or depressed. She sat a few feet away from him, at the other side of the entrance to the Deku Tree's meadow. She was very bored. The Deku Tree had been talking to Dorian for a long time now, and Link hadn’t said a word. Well, she thought, why don't you start a conversation?
"Link," she said timidly.
"What," he muttered.
"Never mind," she said dejectedly. Maybe he didn’t care at all. Well why should he? Zelda thought. He has no reason to care about me. I only ruined his life. But Saria, she is his best friend. Doesn’t he care about her? Zelda looked over at Link. He was staring out into forest, at what exactly Zelda couldn’t tell. But he was very intently gazing at something out there. Zelda wondered what he was thinking about.
Link was incredibly depressed. This has got to be the worst day of my life, he thought, feeling sorry for himself. Malon is gone, probably dead, Zelda's back but she won't talk to me and she lied to me, Kyrin's been captured, too. And Dorian- oh who knows what will happen with him.
"Link!" he heard the Deku Tree call. "Zelda!" Link stood up. Zelda brushed by him without even looking back. Apparently she was ignoring him.
As much as Malon hated to admit it, she knew she couldn’t get home by herself. Taking one last look at Razi, she turned and left his room and beginning to contemplate her situation. She sighed. "I wonder if Link misses me," she muttered, again not really meaning to speak out loud.
Razi turned his head very very slowly to stare at Malon. "What did you say?" he asked coldly.
Malon was surprised. "Um, I was talking about my friend, Link. I was just wondering if he misses me."
"Link," he said. "Link as in, the Hero of Time who defeated Ganondorf and restored all Hyrule to peace?"
Malon gave Razi a quizzical look. He’s lost his mind, she thought. "I don’t know what you are talking about."
Razi stood up from his chair. "You have to take me to him. Please Malon."
Malon thought for a moment. Sure, Razi is a psycho, but at least I can get home... "All right," she said. "He should be at Kokiri forest."
Link stepped into the meadow. Dorian was gone, and so was Navi. "Link," the Deku Tree said. "Sit down."
Zelda was already sitting on the grass. Link kept his distance. He didn't want to talk to her if she couldn't even talk to him.
"So, Zelda," the Deku Tree said. "He is back."
"Yes Deku Tree," Zelda replied flatly, clearly not wanting to participate in the conversation.
"Would you care to tell us how he has escaped, what he is up to?" the Deku Tree inquired.
Zelda sighed. "Flarnon killed Rauru. He poisoned Rauru with the same thing he used on Saria, only she knows how to cure it and he didn’t."
"Why?" Link interrupted. "What do they want with Saria?"
"Ganondorf could only escape with a Sage’s power. He contacted Flarnon somehow, and Flarnon did the dirty work of course. However, Rauru was so old that his power was too weak. They needed more, and figured the next easiest target would be Saria. With her power and Rauru’s they were able to break the already weak seal on the Realm."
"Zelda," the Deku Tree said, "do you know why Ganondorf wants out of the Realm?"
Zelda shook her head. "We have several theories. Perhaps he feels his power is threatened. Or maybe it’s just cabin fever. He has been in the Realm for four years."
Good, the Deku Tree thought to himself. Perhaps the Sages are catching on. The Tree turned to Link. "My boy," he said. "I hate to have to say this, but you must leave the forest."
Malon was about to lose her lunch. She had never ridden this fast before! The black stallion Razi had stolen from the ranch had been the best, and the fastest, but Malon didn’t know anything could go this fast. The horse galloped across Hyrule Field like lightning, and almost before Malon could blink, they had arrived at the forest.
Razi jumped off the horse and landed perfectly on his feet. He grabbed Malon’s hand and pulled her down too. "Show me where he lives," Razi barked. "Hurry!"
For fear of upsetting Razi, she led the way into the forest.
"Leave?" Link asked in astonishment. "Leave the forest? Oh no Deku Tree, I can’t. It’s my home."
"Link, you don’t understand. Hyrule is in grave danger. Ganondorf is back, and with the power of Light added to the Triforce of Power, he will be even more powerful than before," the Tree said. "Link, you must go. You know you are the Hero of Time."
"Get a new hero," Link snapped. "I don’t want to go. And besides, Dorian needs me."
Zelda was shocked. "Link, Hyrule is your country and your home. Don’t you care about your people?"
Link folded his arms across his chest and turned away.
The Deku Tree cleared his throat. "Besides, Link, Dorian is going, too."
Link spun around. "Are you serious?" he scoffed. "He’s just a little kid! He would only make the mission harder; he’d mess everything up and-"
"Oh, no, Link. You are wrong," the Tree interrupted. "He is very important to your mission and he will be a great help to you."
"He can’t even leave the forest. How’s he supposed to fight Ganondorf?" Link retorted.
"Link I really wish you would cooperate," the Deku Tree sighed. "Dorian can leave the forest, and he will. He will join you and Zelda and-"
"Zelda?!" Link exclaimed. "You’re sending me on a mission with a little kid and a girl?"
"Excuse me," Zelda interrupted in an annoyed tone. "For your information, I am not just a girl, I am the Princess of Hyrule and the Seventh Sage. Last time I checked, my magic is much more powerful than yours, and I believe it’s possible that I outrank you-"
"Crown or no crown," Link said, "you’re still a girl! You probably gag at the sight of blood, and you think spiders and bugs are ‘icky’, and you can’t even hold a sword right!"
"Who needs a sword when you can hit the guy square between the eyes with an arrow?" Zelda snapped.
"Ha!" Link scoffed. "I’ll bet you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn!"
"Oh yeah?" Zelda challenged.
"Yeah!" Link replied.
"Zelda! Link!" the Deku Tree barked. "Stop this at once!"
The bickering pair suddenly went silent and turned toward the Deku Tree. Zelda’s cheeks flushed bright red and she and Link both stared at their shoes.
"Sorry, Deku Tree," they said in accidental unison. They glared at each other and then looked back at the floor.
"Now Link, Zelda, you are going to have to learn to get along," the Tree said. …more than you know, he thought. "This is a very important journey. Hyrule is in danger! You said it yourself, Zelda. If Ganondorf regains his power…"
"I thought you said this was his house," Razi said, hands on hips.
"It is," Malon replied, looking around the treehouse, "but I guess he's not home."
"Then where is he?" Razi glared at her coldly out of his green eye.
Malon gulped. "W- well, maybe he’s at the Deku Tree’s meadow," she stuttered.
"Where is that?" Razi asked threateningly.
"I- it’s right over there," Malon replied, pointing and looking out the window.
Razi followed her gaze. "Catch up," he ordered, and jumped out the door, completely ignoring the ladder, and landing - yet again - perfectly on his feet.
"Just great," Malon said to no one, exasperated. "I’ve just told a psycho killer where to find his next victim. What does he want with Link?" She climbed down the ladder. She picked up the bottom of her lavender skirt so she wouldn’t trip on it as she ran through the forest, but Razi was already way ahead.
"What do we have to do?" Zelda asked. She couldn’t believe she and Link weren’t getting along. And she had thought-
"First thing’s first," the Deku Tree began, "you must save Saria.
"Right," Link said. "Then?"
"Then," the Tree continued, "you must find the only one who can help you. I cannot tell you who he is, or where to find him, but trust me. When you do find him, you will know."
Zelda nodded. "But what do we have to do? Where will we go?"
"There are- well, first I ought to explain something. The one who is to help you- he has his own agenda. He is fighting with a different motive. However, he will need your help. Therefore, his quest is yours, and yours is his. Understood?"
Zelda and Link nodded. "Good. Now, to defeat Ganondorf you will need the power of the Sages. That means you will need-"
"The medallions," Link finished.
"Right," the Deku Tree said. "How you are to obtain them, I do not know. I only know that they are essential to defeating Ganondorf. The other thing you need cannot be revealed to you now. It is something much more powerful. You will understand later." Link frowned. He hated the vagueness of this quest.
"The one who will help you," the Tree continued, ignoring Link’s disapproving look, "needs the help of a wise one, however, that one is not a Sage. He also needs to, shall we say, mend some old relationships. You must help him, and make sure he doesn’t lose heart."
"But why do he have to help this guy?" Link protested. "Don’t we have enough problems of our own?"
"Let me assure you, young hero," the Tree said in a no-nonsense tone. "If you do not help this one, your problems will only get worse."
Link cringed. Zelda smirked and gave Link a look that seemed to sing-song, "Ha, ha! He told you!"
"Oh, but I have forgotten the most important thing," the Deku Tree said. "It is very important that you all stay together, especially you two. It is crucial." Zelda and Link glared at each other coldly, each still mad at the other. "You must also watch out for Dorian. It is very important that he stays safe."
Zelda nodded in agreement, but Link was still unsure. He didn’t want to leave again. What if he didn’t come back this time?
Malon finally caught up with Razi. He was crouched in a tree, looking down into the meadow. She stopped, panting, rested her hands on her knees, and looked up at him.
"Is that him?" Razi asked, seemingly amazed.
Malon poked her head around the corner. "I can’t see who you’re looking at,” she said.
“Blonde hair, blue eyes… not too tall… looks kinda whimpy to me… wearing a green dress…”
“Its not a dress,” Malon started, but Razi shut her up with one cold stare. Malon gulped. “Um… yes that’s him.”
Razi jumped down deftly from the tree, landing on his feet without making a sound. “We’re camping out tonight.”
Malon’s brow furrowed. “No way, mister! You’re not going to hurt Link and if you even lay a finger on him I’ll-“
Razi’s strong hand grasping her throat cut her off. With his other hand he yanked off his eye patch and he stared straight into Malon’s own green eyes.
“You’ll shut the hell up and do what I tell you to do, ranch girl. Understood?”
Malon was frozen where she stood as his purple eye slowly swirled to solid black.
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