Link was having the nightmare again. He found himself standing in an open field in the middle of a storm, a white horse raced past him with a Sheikah steering the steed, and the passenger looking him in the eyes, fear written in her eyes. When he turned to see what they were running from he looked up to see a man in black armor standing above him. The man smiled cruelly, and began to focus a ball of energy in his hand. When he released the sphere Link awakened in a cold sweat.
"Just a dream." he gasped, "It was just a dream. The same one I've been having for weeks now."
"Link! Wake up! We've got jobs ready for us!" called a familiar voice.
"Coming Middi." Link called out in reply.
Link quickie changed into his worn out brown work clothes, and ran out the door to greet the brunette girl waiting for him. "What'd you get us?"
"The usual stuff. Round up Jill's cuccoos, bring Uncle Sven mushrooms for his potions, and keep the cows from wandering into the village." sighed Middi.
"We've been doing this ever since we started helping out around the village." Link groaned.
"At least we get paid for doing it." Middi sighed trying to look on the brighter side of the situation.
"Good point. Let's get to it. Find the cuccoos first." Link laughed running towards the usual roosting spot for the escaped birds.
"Wait up Link!" Middi called racing after him.
After the pair finished returning the cuccoos to their owner, they began circling the village to prevent cattle from entering the town. They picked a few mushrooms during their laps around the village, so when they finished their patrol they could take the mushrooms to "Uncle Sven" an alchemist living in their village of Kokira.
"Oh Link," Middi said in a singsong voice.
"Oh Nayru." Link sighed.
"What do you say to exploring the woods after we finish this last loop around the village?" Middi suggested, a smile spreading across her features.
"I'd say you're nuts if you think I'd go in there..." Link began, "unarmed." he laughed finishing his statement.
"Really? You're gonna make me wait for you to grab that sharpened stick you call a sword?" Middi groaned.
"Hey, how many times has that thing saved you from a deku baba?" Link growled.
Middi stopped to recount the number of times Link had saved her, and laughed. "I guess it would be best to bring that."
"Alright. You drop off the mushrooms, I'll get my sword." Link laughed running off towards his home.
When he met up with Middi on the outskirts of town they noticed the path was more worn than the last time they visited, like an army had stampeded across it carrying all their equipment. Link found it highly unusual.
"Middi wait," Link warned. "The path looks like it's been used more, we should be careful if we proceed."
"Oh you worry too much Link. It's perfectly safe out here." she laughed walking past him. "See?"
"Middi, I've got a bad feeling about this, let's just go back to the village." Link urged.
"You are such an old woman." Middi sighed. "Nothing exciting ever happens HERE!!!" Middi screamed as she was suddenly grabbed by a group of creatures Link had never seen before in the woods.
"Middi!" Link shouted running after his friend's captors.
He had almost caught up to them when they entered a clearing with even more of the creatures waiting in ambush.
"Stop the boy, bring the girl." barked a larger one of the goblin-like creatures.
The creatures obeyed the order without question, running deeper into the woods while five of the monsters surrounded Link.
"Never fought something that had a sword too." Link muttered as the creatures drew their short swords.
"Focus..." whispered the childish voice of a young girl. "They leave themselves open when they try to attack."
Link listened to the voice, and focused. He was amazed at the openings he saw when they tried attacking him one at a time. But when they attacked in a group, Link couldn't just focus on one opening.
"Spin, extend your arm and let your sword make a circle around you!" the voice urged.
"That's a stupid idea." Link muttered, blocking the attack of two, but receiving the pain of the other three.
"The bokoblins will continue attacking you until you can defeat them all at once." the voice warned.
"Fine." Link growled planting his feet firmly on the ground.
He did as the voice had instructed and spun on his heels as he extended his arm. To his astonishment the attack had worked. All five of the bokoblins fell, and dispersed into a black smoke.
"It worked," Link said in amazement. "Thank you for your help, whoever you are."
"You'll meet me soon enough." the voice said with a giggle. "But you should focus on saving your friend."
"Middi!" Link gasped.
He then ran in the direction the bokoblins had taken his friend, following a trail of damaged branches and undergrowth.
When he found the bokoblin camp, he noticed Middi sitting in a cage while the head bokoblin dangled a boy over a boiling pot by his feet. He could barely make out what the boy was saying.
"Come now King Boko, I know I haven't made myself seem trustworthy, what with me rushing in here and taking out about a quarter of your men, but I'm sure we can work this out." the boy laughed nervously.
"The time for talk is over thief. I hope you taste better than you look." the head bokoblin growled.
"Well aren't you a glutton!" the boy laughed. "I look pretty good according to half the women I've spoken with, including several of the rabble you've got following you. To want me to taste even better, your asking for ambrosia, a meal that only the gods should consume."
"You talk too much." the king hissed before shifting the point he held the boy by from his feet to his head. "Your skull will make a fine decoration for my feasting table."
"Wow, you truly are a social butterfly, aren't you?" the boy said with a sarcastic grin.
Link took the distraction caused by the boy to sneak over to let Middi out of the cage she was locked in while the guards gathered to watch the argument between the boy and King Boko.
"C'mon Middi, time to head back home." Link whispered as he cut the vines holding the cage door in place. "You get back to the village, I'm gonna get that boy free."
"Aright." Middi nodded, knowing she would be more of an obstacle than a help.
"King Boko, surely we could come to an understanding." the boy nervously laughed. "I can get you into the temple you've been trying to enter, just let me go."
The king paused at the mention of the nearby temple. "You can get me inside?" he growled suspiciously.
"But of course. All you need to do is set me down, preferably away from the boiling pot." the boy nodded.
Link noticed the boy constantly glancing at him, as if trying to tell him something without drawing attention to him.
"All you need to do is work from the outside, and work your way through the middle until you are at the main chamber. Then you simply place your sword into the heart of the throne." the boy explained. "But you just need to set me down first."
The king smiled and began to put the boy down. When his feet hit the ground Link began charging through, using the spin attack he used in the clearing. He kept going until he reached King Boko who shouted orders to stop the newcomer.
In the midst of Link's attack the boy escaped.
"Damn it," Link hissed, "he's left me here to die!"
"Grab the newcomer!" roared King Boko.
"Sheathe your sword," instructed the voice. "That boy is going to be returning."
"How do you know that?" Link hissed fighting off the bokoblins.
"He hears my voice also. And I told him you'd be coming. He repays his debts."
"King Boko, remember that sword I mentioned?" called a voice from the treetops. "It was mine!" roared the boy dropping from above and driving his blade into the skull of the leader of the bokoblins. As the king fell, black smoke began enveloping the camp.
"Our King!" screamed one of the bokoblins.
"Now is a good time to run boys," laughed the voice.
Link looked to the boy, who nodded, and then ran towards his village, the boy close behind him.
