It stood there, straight and erect, another sign of a once existing civilization. Its tarnished white granite was cracked and crumbling from years of neglect and exposure to the elements. It must have been the hundredth group of columns they had passed that day. Saria and her company, led by a Kokiri Elf named Alagbor, had entered a wilderness region to the southwest of Hyrule. The land was dull and dismal, always it seemed gray and cloudy and it was often raining and the valleys of the hills were shrouded in fog.
One could not feel comfortable there, for the land was so bluntly mediocre the only observation that ever could be made of it these days were the signs of a ruined kingdom.
One night the cold and wet company sat by the fire halfway into a small valley. They had set camp in some trees and were talking quietly among themselves. It was a cold night, foggy, but at least not raining as it had been all that day.
"At the earliest we can hope to eave this place in a week, these hills are slowing our progress terribly", said Alagbor poking the fire with a stick.
"Perhaps we should stay in the valleys, the going is less rough there", remarked Nilalkar looking up from a stone tablet he had found yesterday. He had puzzling over the ancient Hylian text, trying to make out what the faded inscription said.
Alagbor looked around and sighed, "No, we will drift to far off our road. We must stick to the highlands", he said firmly.
Duradar sat with one arm wrapped around Saria, who was adjusting the straps on her boots. Galandrim, who had been quietly smoking his pipe, sat up and looked around the campsite.
"You know..." He began, "The whole of this region was once a Hylian Province. Twas ruled by a branch of the Royal Family", he explained.
Lossenisel chuckled and said jokingly, "It looks like they didn't like the place". Galandrim shot him a sharp look, "More like the Easterlings didn't like the Hylians here. About eight hundred years ago, the land was attacked by Khand. Oddly they did not claim the land though" He said.
"That is what this tablet says", said Nilalkar looking up, "But keeps referring to some relic, I can't make out what is says next", He continued, squinting at the flat, inscribed stone.
"It probably refers to the Hylian Diamond", said Galandrim nodding, "Quite a beautiful thing, a relic it was. One would think it to be a sacred stone like that of the Kokiri's Emerald and Goron's Ruby, but it really is more of a beautiful piece of jewelry said to be made by the goddesses. No magic to it but it was big. The size of my hand at least", explained Galandrim holding out his hand and spreading out his fingers.
"What happened to it?" Asked Legolas, speaking up for the time. He had been standing behind Nilalkar, quietly watching the rest of the companions.
"Well, the Easterlings supposedly never got hold of it, so it is probably..." Began Galandrim.
"It is in the caves of Anglon", interjected Nilalkar looking up from the tablet, his were wide with surprise. Galandrim looked at him strangely and walked over to see the inscription for himself.
"Saria, do you know of the Kokiri's Emerald?" Asked Duradar looking over at the green-haired girls sitting net to him.
Saria nodded, "Yes it is a sacred stone, the Great Deku Kept it, but I think Link took it with him when he left the Lost Woods", She said bluntly.
Duradar frowned, "Your people have ad it all this time?" He asked. Saria shot a confused look at him.
He sat for a moment in deep thought, then spoke, "Well, that stone has ever been sacred to our people. It was gifted to us by the Goddesses, it was our key to the Triforce but when the various groups of Kokiri went their own ways after the Golden Realm fell it was not known what happened to it. It is our emblem, look", he said pointing to his sword hilt. On it bore the symbol of the Kokiri, it did look like the Kokiri's Emerald.
"It appears on our flags, it is the symbol of the nobles, it represents the Kokiri", Duradar explained.
"Then how is it that my tribe came upon it?" Asked Saria.
Duradar shrugged, "There must have been some noble that led you so he probably had it with him"
Galandrim stood up from examining the tablet that Nilalkar had been studying.
"I suppose you are right, Nil. The Hylian Gem is in the caves of Anglon", He said scratching his head.
"We'll be passing through that region. We can recover it perhaps", said Alagbor nodding his head.
"Very well, that will be one matter settled then", said Nilalkar placing the inscription in his pack.
