Chapter 5: Rana Helps with the Old Forest Temple

    Early morning saw Link and Rana jogging quietly off to the forest. The sunlight streamed golden through trees, and a few birds were chirping softly to themselves, which was unusual, but not alarming. They had had breakfast, and were talking now of things forgotten and unsaid.
    “What about Malon?” Navi asked. “Is Lon Lon Ranch near the castle still? Have Zelda and Malon met yet?”
    “Oh, right, the castle!” Rana exclaimed. “The castle’s in the centre of Hyrule now, not the north. Zelda thought that would be more convenient for everyone. And the moat actually works like a moat now. And it’s gotten a gorgeous makeover in marble. Remember when we were kids and it looked like a white spike, shining in the sun?” Link nodded. “Well, it looks… it looks sort of the same, but much bigger and even more beautiful. The old Hyrule Castle looks like a toy compared to it, but don’t tell Zelda that because she liked the old castle. Um. So, oh, right, Malon… Yeah, she has met Zelda. They’re almost best friends. Oh! Malon’s married!”
    “Is she?” Link asked, actually distinguishing those two words out of the cheerful, excited babble. They climbed the gate into the deep forest.
    “Yes! She married a knight from Kakariko. Um, a guard, I guess. He’s not brilliant, but he’s quite solid… I’m talking about fighting, right? He’s really nice as a person. His name’s Allan.”
    “I see,” Link replied. “A lot has happened in three years.”
    “You know,” Navi said, “we never really got to know Hyrule that well. You were in the forest for half of your life, and then we went all over Hyrule and made new friends, but then we left for another ten years.”
    They came to the entrance of the great clump of trees Link had mistaken for the Great Deku Tree.
    “Here’s the Old Forest Temple!” Rana chirped, hopping on top of a log. “See, this was the Forest Temple long ago, before Saria was even around, but now the monkeys live here. I’m not sure why the Goddesses brought it out of the deep woods. I guess it’s going to be important.”
    “Where is the New Forest Temple, then?” Navi asked.
    “It’s in the same place relative to Kokiri Forest that it used to be,” Naeri answered. “That whole part of the forest has just been moved further back.”
    “We’re actually pretty close to the Lost Woods,” Rana said, from inside the Old Forest Temple’s door. “Come on! We haven’t adventured together in SO LONG!”
    “That’s true,” Link said, smiling at Navi.
    He ducked his head and entered the Temple.

    The inside of the temple smelled musty. Guttering torches gave a smell of pine pitch and imperfect illumination. Dust floated in on the wind behind him.
    Rana waited for him ahead, her sword already stained with spider blood.
    “It’s a little rough in here,” she said cheerfully. “I’ve never been inside far. I went with Mido once. He really is nicer than when we were kids.”
    “How did he take it?”
    “Pretty coolly! He had a slingshot. Not phased by the LikeLikeBabas at all. Of course, we stayed away from those.”
    “We’ve never come across those.”
    “They look tropical,” Naeri said.
    They had already penetrated several tunnels into the tree, and now they heard a squeaking.
    “That’s a monkey,” Rana said, stating the obvious, and continuing with the helpful: “It’s coming from the right.”
    Rescuing the monkey from the rude cage she was in was quick work. The red flower tucked behind its ear reminded Link of... Marin of Koholint Island. He shook away the distracting thought. The monkey was not afraid of them at all. Grabbing his hand, it pulled him back to the largest room they had entered so far.
    “I’ve seen her before!” Rana said. “There’s a lot, really, though. Like about a dozen.”
    A few rooms later, Link came to a slow stop, rubbing his forehead. “Rana, this isn’t working.”
    Rana came back from the shelf she had been contemplating. “What’s not working?”
    “Us... adventuring together like this. I- I can’t concentrate on our surroundings. I can only think of you.” She came up to him and laid her hands on his shoulders. “This is exactly what I’m talking about.”
There was a long pause, and then he pulled her close and kissed her. “Oh, come on. I’m serious.”
    “Link,” said Rana, keeping her face very close to his, “this is our first day together on the first Temple. We can work this out.”
    After another pause, she said: “If you like, I can go look for the children along a different path.”
    “No, no, it’s okay,” Link said automatically. “Oh. Well, I guess you’re right.”
    “Wow! That’s a surprise!” Rana pulled away and did a little jig. “Okay, let’s get going. Time is the essence!”
    “Isn’t that ‘time is of the essence’?” Link asked.
    “Time is the essence makes more sense to me,” Rana replied, running ahead again.
    Link laughed and ran to catch up.

    They searched diligently for the rest of the day, calling the children’s names in every chamber and hollow, but they found nothing. Navi and Naeri tried to help with mysterious fairy magic, but they found nothing also. They slept near the five monkeys they had rescued, but Link was restless for a long time before and after he fell asleep.
    ‘Have I done all I could have done for today?’ he wondered. ‘Where are they? I hope they’re all right...’
    After he fell asleep, Rana held his hand when he cried out at his nightmares.

    In the morning, Link felt tense and unhappy. His dreams had not only had Rana and Ganon in them – though for the first time, they ended before Rana ‘died’ – but they had also had visions of the children and Ilia locked away, dying, or dead.
    He rushed through much of the Temple at a great pace, getting frustrated at every block and delay. That lasted until noon, when Rana pounced on him, knocking him down, and demanded lunch.
    “Okay,” she said with her mouth full a few minutes later, “now tell me why you’re so grumpy. You haven’t been like this for years in my experience.”
    Link sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just really worried. We haven’t found any trace of Colin or anyone, and I dreamed about them last night, dead, and I realized that Ordona and Faron are quite right to chastise me. I’ve been slacking. I don’t feel like a hero.”
    Rana crawled over to him and began poking him in the chest. “Okay, but I don’t think that yesterday was completely wasted. And you know what? If you wear yourself out, you’re going to be no help to anyone! I think you’re probably thinking that a hero enjoying himself on something serious like ‘save the world’ is being stupid and careless, and you’re probably still distracted by me – you still are this minute; you look like a little boy, which is so sweet... But you know I’m here to help you. Haven’t we been going faster today than you usually would? I know Naeri and I have been. We haven’t been that distracted by each other.”
    Link reached up and took her poking hand in his own. “You’re right, of course. This place is just so big that it doesn’t seem like we’re going very fast at all. But we have to hurry even more. There’s no law that says the universe is going to wait for me to catch up with my enemies.”
    “That sounds a little more like you, even as pessimistic as it is,” Navi said from his shoulder.
    “Thank you, Rana.” Link smiled. “I’m covered in women all fussing over me.”
    Rana jumped up and swept the remains of lunch into a little bundle. “You’re funny. We are not. Come on, Mr. Pessimist!”

    Hours later, they reached a huge door, at least ten metres tall. It was made of brass, corroded in spots, but still gleaming in the light of Link’s lantern.
    “Now,” Link said, “this is our first battle against a giant killer evil creature, so please don’t go crazy like you did against that baboon. Like we said before, I’m still getting used to working with you again.”
    “And to letting me do dangerous stuff because you’re so worried about me,” Rana said, smiling at him. “In return, please don’t worry. I will be careful. I really do know what I’m doing.”
    “Yes. Thank you.” He opened the door.
    The creature waiting for them was composed of two huge Deku Baba heads, both armed with teeth and writhing in a purple acidic pool.
    “Oh, I know what to do!” Navi said. “Throw the Boomerang at their stems!”
    Link tried it. “Good idea, Navi, but that’s ten throws and nothing has happened. I don’t think it’s sharp enough. I don’t think the whirlwind is strong enough to carry my sword, either.”
    “Try... arrows? Oh, you don’t have your bow. Drat.”
    “I have hardly anything. Din’s Fire?”
    “Oh!” Rana cried. “Bombs! I have some!”
    “Okay, just lure it over here, and I’ll-“ Link jumped aside in time to avoid a snapping, slavering maw as one of the Deku Babas attacked. He chopped down on it with his sword, and nearly tore a chunk out of it, but the sword bounced off the leathery surface.
    “Or that... doesn’t work too,” Rana said, pulling faces at the plants.
    “Next time it attacks one of you, the other one chop it at the stem,” Navi directed. “Unless... it’s like one of those weird ones that keeps going afterwards... no, never mind.”
    “All right.”
    One of the Deku Babas fell beneath the water a few minutes later, since Link stabbed it through the mouth. The other hung back.
    “Let’s try your bomb idea, Rana,” Link said, brandishing the boomerang after five minutes of waiting. “It’s better than nothing.”
    “Which is a better virtue, patience or initiative?” Rana asked, tossing him a lighted bomb. He flung his boomerang at it while it was still in midair and sent the bomb flying out at the Baba. It snatched at the boomerang and the bomb both, and swallowed them. Link twitched, a horrible thought occurring to him.
    “So much for that...” Navi mumbled, disappointed. “Now we’re stuck...”
    An explosion interrupted her, and the Baba’s toothed mouth gaped wide as it sank beneath the water. The boomerang hovered a moment where it had been, and then whirled over to Link, who caught it easily.
    “And now what?” Navi asked, flumping down on Link’s head. “Nothing’s happening.”
    “It’s isn’t over yet, you idiots!” Midna squeaked angrily from somewhere underground. At the moment she spoke, the water heaved and one titanic Baba head raised itself out of the water.
    Rana jumped at the voice, then practically flew up the wall like a cat, crouching on a lump of hard wood, as the Baba head opened three dripping petals and leaned in close to the edge of the pool. A protrusion like a stamen wriggled at Link, and he sliced at it and was doused in acidic pool water.
    “Ow!” he shouted.
    “Here, bomb it again!” Rana cried, hopping down and throwing him another explosive.
    That bomb was dropped in the water when the Baba head lunged again. This time Link ran out of the way of the pressurized water.
    Rana tossed him another bomb, and this one the Baba had barely taken in its mouth when it went off, blowing the head off the stalk. Goop and water sprayed everywhere, and Link raised his shield to protect himself and Rana.
    When it was dead, what remained of it exploded again into black particles that coalesced into a small black object. It hovered, giving off an audible aura of power. Link straightened, sheathed his sword, and reached out for it.
    “I’ll just take that!” Midna chirped, popping out of the ground and snatching the object out of Link’s hands with a large orange hand that appeared out of her hair. “Don’t look so shocked. I need this. You don’t. Anyway, it looks like the kids aren’t here, so let’s get out of here!”
    “That’s true,” Rana said as Midna disappeared again into Link’s shadow. “We’ll have to look somewhere else.” The pool was turning crystal clear as she spoke, and the dozen monkeys and the baboon they had rescued all ran in and dove into the water, chittering and squeaking happily.
    “But what if they’re already dead? That monster could have eaten them whole and left no trace...”
    “NO, IT HASN’T!” Rana shouted. “Will you stop that? If you give up hope, what’s going to lead you on? You’re going to be guilt-ridden for the rest of your life if you keep on like that, and you’re going to make me cry. Oops, too late...”
    “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Link cried, jumping forward to take Rana in his arms as she covered her face with her hands and turned away from him. “I shouldn’t have said that... I just can’t stop thinking about it... Please don’t cry, Rana... you haven’t cried in so long...”

    As they were walking hand in hand back to Link’s home, he heard something strange, as a tremor in the breath of the wind...
    “A wolf!” Navi cried. “A golden wolf! Look out, Link!”
    Link whirled and snatched hopelessly at his shield; a golden furry weight collided with him and he felt as if he were being absorbed.
 

Chapter 4: Reawaken    Contents    Chapter 6: Colin!