TLOZ, Rebirth

Link pulled Epona to a halt outside the ring of trees. The sun was setting behind him and he was eager to make camp for the night in the enclosure of the forest. He urged Epona on and went a little further in, but not too far that he couldn’t see Hyrule field. Stopping next to a sizable tree he slid off Epona and tied her reigns to one of the lower branches.

“There you go girl,” he said, removing her saddle. He smiled and rubbed his hand over her muzzle. “You rest now.”

Epona huffed and started nibbling the grass at her feet. Link went in search of fire wood. Through the woods birds and insects called out, but they could not be seen. Link walked till his arms were overloaded with twigs and the woods got deeper and darker. He turned and almost fell as a strange little kid stood in front of him. It continued to look at him, just observing, till it ran off and a song started up. Link smiled and continued on his way.

“Oh, Skull Kid,” he said under his breath to himself.

Link came back to his camp ground and started a fire up. Pulling out his map he laid it on his lap and studied over it. “Ok, the Temple should be around here to the west, then the little shroud to the Forest god. To the northeast of here is Death Mountain and Kakariko Village, also the Earth god. Far south is Zora River and the Water Temple where the Ocean god resides. One more god resides in Hyrule, but I can’t just go walking in till I have the Ocean god’s permission.” Link rolled the map back up and slouched farther to the ground.

‘Zelda, Duiren, I hope you both are fine,’ he thought, a tear rolling down his cheek.

His thoughts were interrupted by his stomach. It growled loudly; Epona looked up and stared at him. Link laughed and dug into his pack, finding the bread and meat he had gotten from the kitchen in the castle. Link ripped a portion of the jerky off and put it in his mouth, tasting the saltiness as it stuck to the roof of his mouth.

“This is gonna take a bit of getting back into habit,” he chuckled to himself.
The night continued to grow darker and Link snuffed out his fire. Lying back onto his back, he watched as the little light balls floated in the air. His lips quirked into a grin as he watched a fairy pop out and chase after a group of the floating lights.

‘Just like old times.’

Link continued to watch till he was lulled to sleep by the rhythmic charm of the lights.

The morning light brought promise. Link left Epona near the entrance to the temple and continued ahead alone. The dark soon consumed him, making it harder to see as he went farther and farther in. Soon, a small light appeared and Link saw a lantern dangling from the wall. Snatching it up, Link walked down passageway after passageway.

“Last I was here, there was a door right near the entrance,” Link said confused. “Now it seems to go on forever.”

Link ran up the fourth flight of stairs, without seeing anything, and was confronted by a Stalfos. It screeched at him and hefted its broad sword, ready to attack. Link drew his sword and shield; the sword of the gods, the Master Sword, and the Hylian shield; and ran after the Stalfos, knocking into its left side. The Stalfos moved quickly for a dead person. It hit Link’s shoulder and sent him flying into the far wall. Link’s breath left his lungs and he gasped. He grabbed hold of his throat and coughed, regaining his breath slowly.

‘I don’t remember them being THIS strong last time,’ he thought, looking over the Stalfos as it loomed before him, screeching.

The Stalfos came at Link again, but he managed to role out of the way, sending a slice to its middle, cutting it in half. Getting to his feet quickly before it could reform, Link brought his sword down on it, slicing its head off and stabbing it with his sword. It gave one last screech before its body dissolved into dust. Link picked up the key it left behind and found the door that it was guarding. Unlocking it, he entered the main room of the temple.
‘Now we’re getting somewhere.’
Link observed his surroundings and found a chest in the far right corner of the room. He hurried over and opened it. Inside was a bag full of bombs. Link grinned and attached the bag to his belt. He looked around again but the room was pretty much bare. The only clue that it was to be used was a large circle that was drawn upon the floor. In the center of it was the temple’s symbol. Another door lay to the west, otherwise the room was empty. Link squared his shoulders and strode over to the door, taking hold of the handle and entering the rooms beyond.

Zelda curled herself into a ball and watched as the stars came alive in the sky through her cell window. Duiren was asleep by her side, his angelic face soft and vulnerable.

‘Link, hurry, please!’ she thought, tears streaming down her face.

It had only been a few days, but it felt longer. Granadhim had come in every few hours during the day to ‘check-up’ on them, but Zelda refused to meet his eyes. She would hold Duiren to herself and huddle them both in the corner, refusing to talk. Duiren was just as frightened as she was, but he tried his best at being like his father. He would strut around the cell and pretend to be a brave knight, defending his kingdom and princess. Zelda would playfully thank him for his kind deeds and kiss his cheek, where Duiren would then stand guard again at the bars and sing along with his mother.

The days slowly passed with the same routine. Soon they just held each other, till the day Granadhim came and took Zelda from her son.

“Ah, how sweet,” Granadhim jeered. “Mother and son, in the comfort of each other’s arms.” Granadhim laughed dryly and ordered the cell unlocked. Entering he came to stand over them, smiling menacingly. “Sorry to say though, Zelda’s coming with me.”

Zelda jumped and hugged her son tighter to herself, feeling as he dug his face into her shoulder. “Never,” she hissed at him.

“Too bad.” Granadhim snapped his fingers and two of his guards took hold of Zelda’s arms dragging her to her feet.

Her grip on Duiren loosened and he ended up sliding out of her arms. “Mama!” he cried, reaching out for her as the guards dragged her, fighting, out of the cell.

“Duiren!” Zelda reached for her son, but was pushed roughly back, landing on her butt. She quickly made her chance to crawl to the bars and touch her son’s hand briefly. “Be good. I’ll be fine, you just stay out of trouble, you hear me? Mommy will be fine.” Duiren nodded and wiped away his tears, putting on his brave face. “That’s my boy,” Zelda whispered to him as the guards grabbed her arms again and forced her towards the exit.

Granadhim stared after her, lingering by the cell where Duiren continued to sit. “Your mother will be fine, for now, I can promise you that, but just as quickly, she won’t be. Time’s ticking and your father hasn’t shone up. Till he does, what is there to do but let your mother’s screams be heard?”

Duiren flinched and cuddled up in the corner. Granadhim grinned and chuckled under his breath. Leaving the boy behind, he left the dungeon, making his way to the drawing room.