The Legend of Zelda: The Garo’s Curse- Part 2- The Realization
Ikana Canyon: 2,000 years ago
After the “Rukinu” departed back to the “Heavens”, the messenger ran back to his camp. The young man, Zaron Te`ishi, delivered the scroll to his comrades with great jubilation.
“K’eili ziah muctah!”
(Friends! A blessing from the heavens!)
The men gathered around the 20 year old. They came from the tents, from around the large fire pit, even the open fields. Soon, the entire tribe, about 50 Garo, had gathered around the small scroll. Most had shed their heavy overcoats for the day, and most had removed their masks. The Garo tribe was comprised completely of men, their chests and limbs were often tattooed over with battle prayers, and religious doctrine. Every man’s ears had silver loops in them.
“Zaron! Where’d you get this?” Asked a tawny haired Garo.
“A messenger named Rukinu,” Zaron explained. “Comrades!” he said, showing the crowd Ganondorf’s proclamation, “This is our salvation!”
“Our tribe has been oppressed for hundreds of years. What makes you think this will change anything?” asked an old man.
“My friends, All we have to do is wait. We will rise again, my friends! Read for yourselves!”
“Zaron! You’re crazy!” the young boys put in.
“Perhaps. But I have been having visions- we are strong. We will be stronger. This king cannot oppress us forever! We will soon have the land we seek! Now my friends, I leave you to the comfort of the night. My lover awaits me.”
Hyrulean-Terminan Border- The present
Link and Zelda had been walking for an hour inside the “big Hole” that would lead them to Termina. Both were tired, and extremely irritable.
“Link, How much longer? I’m hungry and tired, and my skirt is in real sorry shape, you know,” Zelda complained.
“Aw, shut your trap princess, Its not so bad.” Link insisted. “Would you rather have crawled through a swamp this whole time? Or, perhaps you would’ve liked to have swam the whole way? Or how about..”
“Not funny, Link. Hyrule needs us, and you’re busy telling me how lucky I am? You’re wasting time! You’re so dumb and selfish sometimes!”
Link turned around sharply, and gave Zelda a you-didn’t-just-say-that look.
“I’m dumb and selfish? Excuse me, but I’m not the one complaining about my dirty clothes!”
Zelda smiled sheepishly. “I think I’ll shut up now.”
“Good idea. You don’t stop complaining, and I swear, I’ll leave you here for the re-dead!”
“Ha-ha. Everybody knows the re-dead aren’t real!”
“Zelda, I’ve fought off so many of them …”
“Yeah, well, until I see one for myself, I’m not convinced.”
Link turned toward her to reply, but all of a sudden froze. A vile, decaying re-dead was standing behind her, ready to strike! “Zelda,” he said, his voice barely audible, “Whatever you do, don’t think, don’t breathe, don’t move! Just stay like that, and it’ll be over in 30 seconds…”
“What’ll be over in 30 seconds?” she asked, her tone matching his. She turned slowly…
“Don’t turn around!!!” Link flailed his arms for emphasis.
Too late. At the slightest movement from Zelda, the re-dead pounced! After less that a millisecond of resistance from the princess, the creature got her in the all too familiar choke-hold, and started to drain her blood!
“Damn it, Zelda! You just had to move, didn’t ya?”
Faster than lightning, Link drew his sword, and slew the demon in two, before any serious damage could be done. The force of the blow forced Zelda backward, and she landed in the muddy earth.
“Are you ok?”
“I am. My neck’s a different story,” Zelda said.
Link knelt down, and bandaged her wound. “Does it hurt?”
“Like when you thrust the sword in Ganon’s head.”
With Zelda properly bandaged, Link sheathed his sword, just in time to watch the bloody re-dead corpse disintegrate.
“Eeeewww..” the princess remarked. “That was positively gross…”
“Do me a favor, huh? Next time I tell you not to do something, don’t do it!!”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, Link. I guess you weren’t trying to scare me after all. I should’ve listened. And, from now on, I will.”
His features softened a little. “Well, whaddya expect from a spoiled, rotten princess who thinks she owns the world?? You know, I’m almost glad you’re losing your powers. It’s humbling you quite a bit.” He rose to his feet.
Zelda scowled. “I can take care of myself, Thank you!”
“Oh, yeah. You showed that nasty re-dead who’s boss! Yup, they won’t mess with you anymore!” He snickered.
She sat there, un-amused.
The Hylian changed the tone by offering her his hand, and acquired a thick medieval accent: “My lady appears as if she is in need of assistance, and I, her brave knight shall thence assist! Allow me to help you to your feet.”
“Link, stop acting like you’re on crack.”
He slowly withdrew his hand. “If my lady insists on sitting in the mud hole, then I shall not object!”
She chuckled, and grabbed his hand.
***
“Finally!” Link announced. “Out those doors lie Termina. Stick close to me princess, I haven’t been here in a while, and I don’t know the situation.”
An hour after the re-dead incident, they had made it to the sewers below Clock Town’s central tower- the infamous tower that opened to the public only on Carnival, as Link so well remembered.
“Whatever you say Link, lets just get outta here. I’m starting to feel like a sewer rat!”
Hyrule’s hero cautiously pushed the towers doors ajar. Bright sunlight streamed into the sewers, and made the travelers’ eyes wince. Both stepped out into the alley, hoping no one would notice.
The Sacred Realm, Ganon’s Prison
Ganondorf, the deposed leader of the Gerudo, gazed out onto Termina, overlooking Link and Zelda, chuckling as they made their way through to this moment.
He let out one of his ominous belly laughs. “It is time! The Beginning is at hand! Seven days more, and I shall be free of this wretched prison!
His black mind drifted to his accomplice whom he had visited just the other day, (although 2,000 years ago, in reality) “It was quite simple getting those fools to follow me…offer them the world, and they eat out of your hand. The young are so naïve.” He paused to dwell on the thought. “No matter. My followers will release me and restore me to my ultimate glory!”
Then, his glanced drifted toward the image of Link. “Damn him! Damn his very soul into Din’s pit! With my new strength, I will char his rotting corpse to ashes!”
He laughed again. “Enjoy the time you have, Hylian, for when I rise again, all shall be mine!”
His laughter continued, and with the dawn of the newest day in Termina , the countdown had begun. Unbeknownst to our heroes, the clock has started ticking, but without a clue and only seven days to solve a mural of a puzzle, can they really figure it out in time?
***
South Clock Town, Termina. 6:00 am
“Link? Why is it morning already? Its still the middle of the night back home! This is crazy!”
“Termina is a full day ahead of Hyrule. And this isn’t the worst of it. Wait until you see the other regions-”
She cut him off. “Other regions? Well, then where are we now?”
“This is just Clock Town, the central part of it. But this,” He said, pulling out a aged map from his belt, “ This is Termina.”
“This map is kinda outdated. How do we know if boundaries have changed?”
Link gave her a DUH! Look. “Termina is as old as we are. Have our boundaries changed much?”
“Not in the last fifty years.”
“I rest my case.”
Just then, Link’s hope of total anonymity was crushed. A cluster of young girls, Link’s “fans“, recognized him, even after 7 years. “LINK!!! YOU’RE BACK!! CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?” “HOW ‘BOUT A SMOOCH, HANDSOME?” “HE’S SOOO GORGEOUS!”
“Ummm…Zel? RUN!!”
He grabbed her hand and ran furiously throughout the still-sleepy town, when an idea hit him like a bunch of angry cuccos.
The two friends fled into the Laundry Pool, and lost their pursuers.
“Wow!…that was crazy!!….Link! You must be…popular everywhere!” Zelda exclaimed, in between breaths.
“Hey! Look at these!” Link picked up some rags that were lying on the ground.
“Take one of these, put it on, hide your face. Any questions?”
“No.”
With their new disguises intact, they set out, and to Link’s great joy, the travelers blended into the crowds perfectly.
“Hey Link? While I’m out joining you on your escapade, will you please do me a favor?”
“Anything for you, princess. You just name it!”
“Can you show me around?”
Link’s jaw dropped. Show her around? Our home is in chaos and she wants me to ‘show her around?’
“Umm, not to be rude but Zelda, we have a job to do! Hyrule is a mess, and you’re interested in sight-seeing…what’s wrong with this picture?”
Zelda began to pout. She stuck out her lower lip and gave Link puppy-dog eyes. “Link, you drag me to a foreign land, and you won’t even show me the hot spots? What kind of gentleman are you??” She said in a high-pitched whiny voice.
Link began to get upset.
“Look, I didn’t drag you anywhere. You were the one complaining about your powers and how much Hyrule is in. You followed me here.”
Zelda sighed. “I did, didn’t I?” she asked, feeling sheepish.
“Well, I must say I’m touched to think the Princess of Hyrule thinks I am so good looking, that she followed me all the way here.” He flashed a huge grin. “I am one cute guy, huh?”
Zelda rolled her eyes. “You are so full of yourself, you big-potbellied Goron!”
Link gulped and pointed. “That I may be, but other people also seem to agree with me. Let’s go!”
Apparently, Link’s paparazzi had caught up with them again.
***
By some miracle from the Goddesses, Link and Zelda were able to take refuge in the Stock Pot Inn. Anju, seeing Link was in trouble, offered them the honeymoon suite, free of charge.
“Zelda, are you hungry? I cooked breakfast…”
“No. Actually, I feel a little sick right now…”
“Is it your powers?”
“I don’t know. I just feel a little under the weather.”
Link shrugged, and ladled some deku root porridge into a bowl. “All the more for me, I guess.” Not a split second after he swallowed did his features convulse into a million different expressions. He dumped the rest of the slop into the trash. “Umm…maybe it’s a good thing you’re not eating right now…”
She chuckled. As much as a pain Link could be, he could sure make her laugh.
The mood became serious after a few minutes.
“Link? Do you have any idea why all this is happening?”
“An idea? I think so. But, I’ll hafta do some research.”
“How do you plan on doing that?”
“Quizzing the locals. I’ve learned in my travels if ever there’s a problem, the locals are a good source to go to. Actually, now that I think about it, I have to pay someone a visit. Stay here, and rest. You need to be healthy for whatever happens next, and I don’t want you sick, ok?”
“Can’t I go with you?”
“Absolutely not.”
“But why? I’m a big girl!”
“ Zelda, we have no idea who the enemy is, and besides, its too much of a risk. I’m sure whoever or whatever we’re dealing with would love to add the Princess of Hyrule to their hit list.”
She shook her head. “I don’t like this at all. I wish you’d let me help.”
“Its no big deal. Just stay here, I’ll be back before you know it.”
“If its no big deal, why can’t I come?”
Link’s eyes did all the pleading for him. “Just stay.”
The door locked shut behind him. A weak smile crossed Zelda’s face. You big, stubborn Goron, I don’t care if I bleeding out of both ends of my body, I have to help you..somehow…and I will.
North Clock Town, 8:00 am.
Link trudged along the streets of Clock Town in the early morning, beating himself mentally for leaving Zelda alone. I love her, I didn’t want her to be in danger…I hope I did the right thing…I’m sure I did the right thing. I just hope she stayed put. Zelda has a history of being very unpredictable. This is the place. Wow, its been seven years already! I hope this waiting has paid off…
The knight had arrived in North Clock Town, home of a Great Fairy, as well as the Bomber Gang, a group of neighborhood kids who secretly went around doing good for people. At least, Link hoped they still did. He had been good friends with their leader in the past, and perhaps now he could be of some help.
Yeah, there he was alright. When Link last saw Jim, the Bomber’s leader, he was a seven year old squirt who was trying to pop a balloon with a dart gun. Now a 14 year old teenager, Jim had traded in his dart gun for a bow and arrow, but the target was still the same..
“Hey Jim! Long time no see! How are the Bombers? Boy, have I got stories to tell you!”
Jim turned his bow and arrow on Link. “Hold on, buster! How do you know my name, and how do you know about the Bombers?” He asked through gritted teeth.
“Jim! Its me, Link!”
“Yeah? Prove it! You got ten seconds, other wise this arrow is going to find a new resting place- your belly!”
***
Princess Zelda, heir to Hyrule, was probably doing the stupidest thing in her life: disobeying Link. She had been traveling for an hour (In disguise of course) and found out a few helpful clues: No one travels anymore, the crops are failing miserably, and there have been a lot of ghost and re-dead sightings, especially around Ikana Canyon (Where the hell was that? She had thought.)
She had searched high and low for a library, any place that would hold records of any kind. No luck.
All of a sudden, she got a chill down her spine. I bet I’m coming down with something, she speculated.
Then, without warning, another chill came, more violent than the first. It was so powerful, she had to shiver, and it was 75 degrees out! It could only mean one thing: her intuition was acting up…but it couldn’t be.. The last time she had gotten violent chills like this was Ganondorf was present. When she was a child…
The “chills” increased in number and seemed to be slowly leaking from the air. She glanced in the general direction- East.
Bingo. The Ikanese sky was dark and ominous, the look of a tornado sky. Those clouds, she knew, had no business there. And they needed to be purged. Even if I get scolded, this trip was worth something. I’ve got to get back and tell Link!
She concentrated hard, in an attempt to teleport back to the room.
No effect.
In horror, she pieced everything together. So, that’s why she had felt sick. Teleportation, even short range, was now out of the question…“Great. Just wonderful…”
***
Link froze. Surely Jim was not a cold-blooded killer, but he didn‘t feel like testing fate. “Wait Jim! I have a Bomber’s notebook, that you gave me!”
“Show it to me, and maybe I’ll change my mind.”
Link rummaged around in his tunic pockets…uh-oh…Great, Link. Fine to time to clean out your stuff and lose your mementos…he scolded himself.
“Look, Jim, I kinda misplaced it. I swear its me! Just don’t-”
“Tell ya what,” Jim interrupted. “If you shoot down the balloon, with my bow and arrow, I’ll believe ya. If not,well…you know..”
“Ok, ok…”
“Oh, one more thing,” Jim added. “You only get one shot.”
Link shrugged. “You shoulda believed me, Jim. Anybody who’s got an arm can hit that balloon.”
With that, he stood back and shot. The arrow was true, and the target burst.
Jim’s mouth hung wide open, and it took all of Link’s strength not to laugh- Jim had made the same face seven years ago when Link used his slingshot on the balloon.
“Link?! Man, that has got to be you! Only you can make such a clean shot!”
The two old friends shook hands. “I’m sorry about all that…I wouldn’t have shot you, ya know..”
“I know. Its an image thing. Do yourself a favor and don’t do that again.”
Jim stared up at Link and gawked. “Wow! You got so tall!”
“You don’t look so bad yourself, kid! Someone’s been eating their vegetables!”
“Yeah, right! Its called playing hard, doing good, and being a Bomber!”
Jim asked the warrior what he was doing back in Termina. “I don’t hear from you in years, and now your back! What’s the deal? I know you womped that mask-guy good…is he causing trouble again?”
We don’t know what’s up, actually..”
“We? Aw geez, you got a partner?” Jim said, disheartened.
Link blushed. “Sort of.”
“I think I can help. Some really strange things have been going on here.”
“Oh really? Care to explain?” Link asked.
Jim sighed. “I can and I can’t. The thing is people stopped going to Ikana Canyon. I mean, no one ever goes there anyway, but still, there have been rumors that Gibdos have been advancing towards town, so nobody goes out at night. Even the Rosa sisters don’t dance anymore..”
“Uh-huh..”
Link scratched his chin in deep thought.
“Does anyone have any theories?”
“I do! In school, we’re learning Ikanese history, and there’s some pretty funky stuff that happened. Lotsa wars and hexes and curses, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them was coming true..”
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Link’s head. “Hey, could I use the Astral Observatory?”
“Why couldn’t you? You’re a Bomber!”
Link rushed towards the steps of the sewers leading to the observatory.
If I’m right, this may just be the clue we need!
***
Link looked through the telescope, and snapped his fingers. “A-ha! I knew it! Good boy, Jim! You’re a winner!”
“Huh?”
“See for yourself!”
Jim looked through the telescope. “I don’t get it. All I see is a big cloud and a buncha lightning storms…”
“It’s a bunch of time rips, actually..”
“How do you know?”
“After traveling through time on several occasions, you get used to them. You were right about Ikana’s past being jeopardized. Now, I have to see who’s involved. Hey Jim, I’m curious…the guy that used to run this place…”
“Died. We bombers have been caring for the place since he checked out.”
“Too bad. I wanted his advice. Look, I’ve got to head back to the Stock Pot Inn. Thanks for helping me-”
“Can I come with you?” Jim interjected.
“Not now, Jim. I’m in a hurry, maybe when you’re older…”
“Hey! I let you in here! You could at least let me come along! Besides, I‘m not a kid anymore!”
“Jim, unless you’re an expert on time rips and Ikanese history, there’s not much you can do…”
“I got straight A’s in Ikanese History, and I’m taking the language in school. Got an A in that too. And what about all the stuff I told you earlier?”
Link gritted his teeth. “Doh! I hate it when I’m cornered like this!”
Jim smiled.
“Okay. You can come. But if I say run, you run. If say stay away, you do that. If I say bark like a dog…”
“Okay! I get it! I’ll be good. I promise!”
“Shake on it,” Link insisted.
The two did just that.
***
Stock Pot Inn, 11:00 am
“Zelda! How are you feeling?” was the first thing out of Link’s mouth as he approached his friend.
“I’m okay, and I think there’s something you should know..”
“Before you do that: Zelda, this is Jim. Jim- Zelda.”
Jim eyed Zelda critically, and crossed his arms. “Link? This is your partner? She’s a girl! How can she possibly help?!”
Zelda gave Jim an why-I oughta-kill-you look. “Hey bucko! Didn’t your mother ever teach you to be nice to a lady?”
“First of all, that’s my friend you’re talking about,” Link pointed out. “Second, this is Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and she‘s losing her powers. And by the way, I guess your mother never did teach you how to treat a lady…”
Jim’s cheeks reddened very quickly.
“Ummm…sorry Your Highness,” he said to Zelda. He bent low, and kissed her hand. “Do you mind if I call you that?”
“Its okay, and ‘Zelda’ is fine. We don’t exactly want people to know I’m here, okay?”
“Link, may I speak with you a moment?”
The two stepped to the side.
“Did you find anything out?”
“Quite a bit. The disturbance is coming from…”
“The East. And Ganondorf’s involved..” she blurted out. Oops. That was a mistake..
Link started jumping up and down and cursing in old Hylian. It was 5 whole minutes before Zelda could calm him down. Jim had erupted in laughter at the whole sight.
When Link was calm enough to get words out of his mouth, he spoke: “Zelda! I asked you to stay here. That’s not that hard a task! You’re a smart person, please tell me one thing: WHY IN THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT??? DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME YOU IGNORED MY WARNINGS?? WHAT IF SOMEONE SAW YOU??”
“Link, if I told you I was sorry, I’d be lying. I found out some important information, ok? We wouldn’t have a clue on what all this was about if I hadn’t have taken the risk…”
“That’s not the point. If you’re right, and Ganondorf is involved, what’s to say he doesn’t know we’re here!”
“Great Giants, you two stop arguing!” Jim insisted. “I’m getting a headache!”
Zelda, as always, was first to apologize.
“Look, its done and over with. We’d better get a move on anyway. The more we wait, the weaker Hyrule gets, as do I... Link, I was sick for a reason today…teleportation is totally out of the question now. Even if the distance is short. My other powers will follow soon, and what could’ve aided us later never will.”
Link shook his head. “Our small-mindedness is costing us everything. Our homes. Our friendships…if we’re not careful, our lives as well. Everyone, lets go. We’re going to Ikana Canyon to settle this.”
***
Ikana Canyon, 1:00 pm
The last two hours had been nothing but misery for the trio. Link had never seen so many Gibdos, especially out during the day like this. A re-dead practically sucked the life outta poor Jim, and Zelda found she couldn’t even use her magic to defend her friends.
They decided to let Jim rest for half an hour before moving on. Zelda became his official “nurse.”
“Where does it hurt Jim?”
“Everywhere…and I’m tired too…so tired…”
“Just relax and take a nap. You’ll feel better when you wake.”
Jim nodded once and promptly fell asleep.
Link was sitting nearby, chin resting in his hand. The princess decided to join him.
“I don’t like this, Zel. There is way too much going on here.”
“So, what are you saying? There’s definitely something up here?”
“Yes. That, and you were right. Something like this has Ganondorf’s name all over it…”
“Link…Do you know someone, anyone who help us pinpoint everything? I mean, you did say Ikana Canyon is vast, and we can‘t rely on a few extra Gibdos to give us much.”
“Well, Zelda, its not just a few extra Gibdos. Have you also noticed a few ghosts floating around?”
“Yeah, but so what? With all the Gibdos hanging around, I assumed they were part of the crowd.”
“Are you kidding? After I freed Stone Tower from the evils there, all the gibdos, ghosts, even Garo.. .everything…was all laid to rest!”
Suddenly, Zelda stood up. “That‘s it! That‘s our lead!”
“What‘s your lead?” came a weak voice.
“Jim, go back to sleep! you’re in no condition to-” Zelda started.
“What’s our lead?” Jim repeated, louder.
“Ummm…Zelda, what exactly is our lead?” Link asked, not quite getting it.
“OOO, YOU STUPID OAF!! You said there was nothing walking around after you fixed the problems here, right?”
“Yeah? So?”
“Well, don’t you think it’s a little funny that there are things walking around again?”
“I never thought about it that way..”
“Okay, now, have you noticed anything walking about that you had already put to rest?”
Link thought hard for a moment. It didn’t take him long to notice that some gibdos were once again walking around the music box house. Not to mention the music wasn’t playing, and the river had dried up again.
“Of course! So now that we know the dead are being disturbed, maybe we can get some information from the source!”
“Exactly!” Zelda flung her arms in relief.
“So now, I ask you again, Link the Genius- (he blushed) With all these souls walking around, do you think you could get some information out of one that you’ve met before?”
Link shrugged. “I’ve got one person…but that’s only if he’s walking around yet.”
“You know what? There are enough ghosts walking around here to make Kakariko Graveyard look like nothing. Let’s look him up.”
“What are we doing?” Jim asked. He was up and walking about.
“Have a good nappie-poo?” Link teased.
“Shut up, retard!” Jim said back.
“That’s it! You’re in trouble!”
“Oh, yeah? Bring it on, Mr. Hero!”
“My pleasure!”
Zelda let them have it out. “Well, this is what I get when I traveler with a bunch of babies!”
***
Ikana Castle remained unchanged since Link’s last visit, except for all the undead roaming around.
“Wow! This is so cool! Did you know all of Ikana’s royal families lived here?” Jim asked .
“I didn’t know Ikana had royal families.” Zelda quipped.
“Apparently they did. Igos du Ikana was one of their kings. He was also the one who taught me the Elegy of Emptiness.”
“Link! I didn’t know he taught you that song! The things you learn from dead guys.”
“Yeah well, if he’s still here, he can help us.”
The trio entered the throne room, the smell of age in the air. Sure enough, there was Igos du Ikana, sans his guards, which Link taught was peculiar. They walked in to have the doors lock behind them-again.
“I don’t like this,” Zelda whispered. “Locked doors like this make me nervous.”
“Aw geez, princess. I’m sure its no big thing,” Jim suggested.
There was a loud rumbling, the shaking of bones echoing off the walls. “WHO DARES TO ENTER MY PRESENCE?” boomed the king.
“Your Highness, ‘tis I, Link! We are in great need of your help.”
The old king hobbled off his throne towards the group. “Link, I cannot tell you how relieved I am to see you! My, you have grown!”
“Yes, Its been 7 years..”
“ Let me tell you, strange things have been happening…Ah, in times of crisis, my manners leave me,” he said, eyeing the others. “Tell me, who are your companions?”
“This is Jim, Your Highness, a close friend of mine.”
The king shook the young boy’s hand. “Hey, I never shook the hand of dead guy before!” Jim said. “Do I feel weird to you, Your Highness?”
“No weirder than I must feel to you.” He patted Jim on the head.
“And who is this young woman?” Link blushed. “Ummm…another close friend of mine: Zelda.”
“I am happy to make your acquaintance. It has been awhile since my kingdom has seen beauty such as yours.” He kissed her hand.
“So, what’s been going on?”
“Link, my friend, although you sent me to the afterlife, I found myself in this realm yesterday, and I was quite confused. I don’t ever remember how I got here or even why. I have seen more of my old subjects these past two days than I have in my entire lifetime, and it scares me…”
“Sir, if you don’t mind, I think your history’s being messed with.” Jim quipped. “I also think the dead have been messed with, but I don’t know how…Do you recall any strange events that would give us any leads?”
“My boy, my memory is quite useless, seeing as all my life’s events occurred thousands of years ago…”
“You’re that old?!” Link blurted out. Zelda gave him an evil eye.
“Link, I am the last of the great kings. I was at my peak 2,000 years ago. Shortly after my reign, my kingdom fell into the chaos you see now.”
Zelda pulled Link aside.
“Just how are we supposed to figure out where this disturbance is coming from? He’s not helping!”
“Zelda, patience is a virtue..”
“Not right now it isn’t! Look, I got another one of my strange feelings before…I feel like we’re on a timer of some sort: days perhaps…There is a reason all these dead souls have returned to the world of the living! They shouldn’t be here!”
“Alright, look. I can ask Jim about Ikanese History, but that would take forever. I can talk to Igos du Ikana, or I can do nothing. Take your pick. We don’t have a choice right now! I can’t speed this up any faster!”
“Link! Zelda! I’ve got to talk with you guys a second! I just remembered something important!” Jim yelled.
“We’ll be right there!” Zelda yelled back.
“Your Highness, do you have any records of the history from your era? We’ve been studying something in school that comes from that era, and its similar to what’s going on-”
“Alright Jim, we’re here. What’s going on?”
“Have any of you heard of The Garo’s Curse?”
Link and Zelda drew a blank. The king however, did not. His eyes narrowed, and he got an angry look in his eye. “Yes…why do you ask, boy?”
“Because! I think all this may have to do with that!”
“No! I will not believe it! I refuse to!” The king professed.
“What’s the big deal?” Jim said flippantly.
The king drew a breath.
“A Garo wrote it, (“I figured,” Link thought) in hopes that his tribe would take over my kingdom, and for other reasons that will go unmentioned.”
“Well, do the things that have been happening coincide with any of the curse’s prophesies?” Link inquired.
“Plenty of them..” the king muttered.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US BEFORE?” Zelda asked, frantic. “we’re losing time!”
“Look, our home is in trouble along with yours. That’s why we came all the way here-the source, for both problems, seems to be here.” Link explained.
“I see. It is the curse…It speak of 2 worlds suffering….” The king said.
I have a copy here somewhere. Pick this apart if you must.”
After searching, They found a copy- but there was one problem- it was written in Ikanese. Luckily, Jim translated.
“Jim, what exactly is in this curse?” Zelda inquired.
“Well, it talks a lot about dead souls coming to life again- and about 3 gold triangles, whatever that means,” Jim said.
Link and Zelda both gasped. “The Triforce!!!”
