[ZGen] OoT Retelling (T)

Okay, after seeing some of the mature themes in TP and then replaying OoT, I thought it would be interesting to see such things added to OoT to make it more realistic. Sort of like how Batman Begins took the corniness of Batman and made it dark and mature. That's what I have attempted to do with OoT. So, without further ado, here is the Prologue and Chapters 1 and 2.

Prologue

Darkness hung in every ounce of air the boy could breathe. It filled his lungs, penetrated his soul, and permeated his senses. It loomed over him like a tempest, yet at the same time cowered and remained nameless. The clouds overhead parted enough to let a ray of the moon’s light pierce the darkness. That is when the boy became aware of the structure towering before him. A great wall, decorated with insignias and inscriptions that were completely unfamiliar to the young boy. Yet the more he examined them, the more it seemed as if he knew them once but had forgotten them.

The soft sound of the rain hitting earth had been continuous, almost soothing, for the last few minutes, but now a new sound broke that softness: the hard clanking of chains. A bolt of lightning gave a brief illumination of more of the wall, and now the boy could see that it was part of a castle wall. The sound of chains resonated from behind the drawbridge which was set in the wall directly in front of him. Slowly it began to creak open. The more it did, the more the boy could begin to hear a new sound. Barely different from the drawbridge at first, but steadily distinguishing itself more and more the closer it got to him. Finally, he realized that it was the sound of hooves on stone. He was unsure of how he knew that the hooves were striking stone, but he was certain they were. Finally the drawbridge sounded loudly against the stone on the side of the gap the boy was on, and the horse was finally visible. At least as close to visible as it could be in the nearly absolute darkness.

The boy could make out the figure of two riders: a smaller sitting in front, and a larger, more athletic form sitting behind him or her, almost as if it was trying to protect the smaller rider. As the horse passed through the beam of moonlight, he saw that the smaller figure was that of a young girl, no older than he, and yet there seemed to be an older presence behind her eyes. Her eyes! Though the boy did indeed get a glimpse of her entire face, he could now remember nothing but the eyes. They were of the deepest blue he could remember seeing. Though her youth concealed her wisdom her eyes betrayed her, for in those eyes the boy could see deep wells of thought. Within those eyes, he sensed both beauty and fear, both majesty and terror. Time had great things planned for her, but only she could see decide if they were for evil or good. The boy could only ponder all these things he saw with just a glance at her eyes. Somehow, when her eyes met his, a connection took place; one he had never felt before.

The boy was quickly jarred from his thoughts as he suddenly became aware of a presence behind him. Before even looking, he knew that whatever it was, was the source of the darkness, the nameless terror that permeated all around him. As he turned and saw the figure, a wave of the most indescribable fear crept through the boy’s veins. He trembled from his flesh to his soul at the very sight of this thing, this man, if he could be called that.

A man of the largest size the boy had ever seen. Easily clearing seven feet, the man was a giant. His arms looked as though they were soon to burst, his sinews were so mammoth. Though most of his flesh was covered in black armor, what was visible was the most putrid hue of green imaginable. The blackness of his armor spoke of his dark heart, and yet the gold trim gave him a majesty that most kings had difficulties achieving. A large medallion chained to the stranger’s forehead and held in place by a metal lock that seemed to protrude from beneath his skin was by far the most noticeable of his facial features. It led right down to his cold, yellow eyes. A lifeless soul, and a ferociously alive terror was hidden behind those eyes. The more the boy stared into them, the more he seemed to be paralyzed with fear. A white aura - not quite a light - seemed to cover the boy’s vision as he continued to fix his gaze on the tall stranger’s eyes, unable to look away. Finally the whiteness covered his whole field of vision as his eyes began to burn…

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Chapter One

Deep in the forest there lies a small gathering of folk. They are often called the children of the forest, but they refer to themselves only as Kokiri. Concealed deep within the Lost Woods so that none who know not its secrets may enter, and only those who know what lies beyond may leave. The Kokiri Forest stands as an impenetrable place of goodness, barring the darkness of the woods around it, all watched over by the Deku Tree.

Where he came from, or when he first appeared none can say for sure. The only thing that is known is that the Deku Tree keeps the secrets of the forest even from those whom he guards: the Kokiri. None may leave without his permission, for they know not the way, and would be soon taken by the dark forces of the forest. It is for this reason that the Kokiri are absolutely ignorant to the world around them, and the rest of the world can only guess at what they are, based on hearsay and rumors.

Because the Kokiri could not leave the forest, they were very in tune with it, being able to navigate the parts of it they were allowed to enter very well, and unlocking some of the deeper magicks of the woods, the most prominent of these being the wood fairies. At birth, each Kokiri was given a fairy that was to be their guardian, their guide, and most importantly their friend. Nobody knew as much about a Kokiri as his or her fairy did. However, there was one boy who did not have a fairy. None of the Kokiri really knew for sure why the wood fairies rejected him, but most assumed it was because of some abnormality, and thus shunned him, not really sure what they were afraid of, but knew that they didn’t want to find out.

The boy was kind enough, and while this earned him the respect of the other Kokiri, it did not their friendship. This was due mostly to the fact that Mido, the self proclaimed chief of the Kokiri, absolutely despised the boy for not having a fairy. And while Mido may not have been the true chief, he was revered as both a great, though hardly kind, leader and as the spokesman for the Deku Tree. Mido was charged with guarding the entrance to the Deku Tree’s grove, only allowing those that the Deku Tree had specifically requested to see him. Most Kokiri assumed that this was because most would not understood the wisdom of the Deku Tree unless spoken in a more common tongue that was easier understood.

Thus, the boy was shunned by his peers. Only one of the Kokiri defied Mido and befriended the boy. Her name was Saria. She was always a free spirit, and as such, did not care much what Mido, or any of the other Kokiri, thought of her friendship with the boy. Amazingly, despite her willingness to defy Mido, the other Kokiri remained friends with her, and Mido behaved unusually kind toward her. It was well known throughout the forest that Mido had a certain soft spot for Saria, but being as proud as he was, it was hard for him to display it to her, let alone the rest of the forest. Thus, he remained more professional than friendly with Saria, and hated the boy even more, for it was suspected by many that Saria was fond of the boy. Whether the boy returned these feelings none could say, for he was so detached from his emotions that even Saria had trouble discerning what he was feeling at times. He was something of a mystery to the other Kokiri. He had no fairy, he treated them kindly despite the fact that they all shunned him, and he found it hard to share his emotions with even his closest, and in fact only, friend.

The true motives for the boy’s actions were far darker than any Kokiri could possibly imagine. He was haunted by the forest, almost resented by it for being so detached and dispassionate. At least, that was how he viewed it. He was constantly plagued with nightmares, ranging from anything so terrible as the forest being consumed by flames, to far more specific dreams of dark stranger’s riding by on horses. He blamed the forest. First it refused to give him a fairy, and now it caused him to be susceptible to dark and suspicious dreams. The agony never seemed to end, and yet he never showed any of it. He felt if he distanced himself from people and the forest that perhaps he would be less susceptible to the forces causing him his misfortune.

He also feared that it would show weakness if he opened up to Saria about his true feelings for her or anything else. And thus he was shunned by his peers. He didn’t mind it so much. He preferred solitude to companionship. He felt as though if he had any more friends than Saria that he might lose himself to it. That was something that could not happen. If there was one thing that the boy revered above all else, it was his identity, even if that identity was nothing more than an abandoned child of the forest. As long as he had that, he could remain sane.

Of course he might lose that sanity if the nightmares kept pestering him. Nightmares like the one he just woke up from. He wasn’t entirely sure of what it was, but he remembered that it was dark and terrible. The only thing he could focus on now was the sharp high sound of a voice he did not recognize. Perhaps it was one of the female Kokiri that he had not yet interacted with. There were bound to still be a few of them. But as it continued, he decided that this definitely was not the sound of a Kokiri. It sounded more like a fairy. A fairy! Could it be? Was the forest finally showing him some kindness? He slowly forced himself up to a sitting position on his bed, yawned and stretched a bit before a voice above him said, “Finally. I thought you were never going to wake up.”

The boy looked up above him and sure enough, it was a fairy. Though joyful thoughts had raced through his head before, he now began to question why the fairy might have been there. Could it be that the forest was just tormenting him more? Teasing him, perhaps? Or maybe it was just here on some errand and it was the ‘unlucky’ fairy that was picked for the job. “Hi, I’m Navi, the fairy. The Great Deku Tree sent me here to get you. He wants to see you, Link.”

Navi could see that Link was not at all thrilled by the news she was bringing him, but that was none of her concern. If the Deku Tree wanted to see this lazy, and perhaps even useless, boy, then see him he would. “Go away. I’m sleeping,” Link said to her, though she got the feeling that the last thing he wanted to do was go back to sleep, almost as if he feared it.

But why would he fear sleeping?, Navi thought. The thought quickly left her head as she remembered why she was here. “Come on. The Great Deku Tree wants to see you, so see you he shall.”

Link stared at her for a moment before saying, “And what could the Great Deku Tree possibly want with me,” putting an obvious sarcasm on the word ‘great’.

Navi, detecting this sarcasm immediately began garnering a dislike for this boy; for she knew that it was the Great Deku Tree who was responsible for this boy even being alive right now. If he didn’t keep the darkness of the woods back with his magic at all times, Kokiri Forest would very soon become consumed by it. Despite this, she continued to pester him with her business, insisting that it was imperative that he come with her. Link finally agreed on the condition that she keep quiet until it was necessary for her to speak. “Fine, I’ll try to keep it down as much as I can,” Navi replied.

No sooner that she had said this, Link was already getting his boots and tunic on and preparing to leave. As he reached for his dagger Navi said, “Oh, I don’t think you’ll be needing that. The Great Deku Tree despises violence.”

Link just stared blankly at her for a few moments before reaching for it and strapping it to his belt anyways. Great, Navi thought, the Great Deku Tree has employed the services of a dumb brute. She accompanied Link out the doorway of his tree house and happened to see Saria approaching as Link descended the ladder leading to the balcony of this house. “Hi, Link,” Saria said in an enthusiastic tone, “I just heard the great news. The Deku Tree has summoned you! What an honor.”

Navi knew that Saria was the only Kokiri other than Mido that was permitted to see the Great Deku Tree, hence why she had already heard. “Well,” Link replied, “I’m sure it’s not so important. He probably just needs me to do some job that none of the other Kokiri would want to do. Though why he wouldn’t just ask Mido to tell me, I don’t really know for sure.”

Though Navi had heard no more than twenty words from Link in his tree house just moments ago, she could immediately tell that his tone with which he was currently conversing was much softer and gentler than the tone he used with her. “No, I’m certain that it’s something important, or else he would have just told Mido to tell you, like you said,” Saria assured him.

Though she knew that she was fighting a losing battle, Saria felt that it was important to encourage Link, rather than feed his thoughts that everyone hated him. Though much to her surprise, as much as he did believe that no one but her really liked, or for that matter even understood him, that he didn’t mind things being that way. This nature of Link’s confused Saria tremendously, and always had. It was almost like he wanted the world to be against him. Not for the attention or anything similar, but simply because it would give him the ability to be invisible, and no one would care. It hurt Saria that he felt this way, since he sometimes even included her in his dispassionate methods, but she felt deeply that with enough kindness in his life that he would eventually succumb and trust in her.

“Well, you’d best not keep the Deku Tree waiting, Link. Good luck,” Saria said as she turned to leave.

Link moved slightly forward as though he wanted to tell her something, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. It was as though two sides of Link were battling against each other: the altruistic, caring side that just wanted to be heard, and the cold, hard, dispassionate side that wanted to disappear from the world. It seemed as though the latter was winning.

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Chapter Two

Link raced towards the entrance to the Deku Tree. Navi could only guess at his sudden enthusiasm, but she figured that he was just eager to complete this task so he could get on with the rest of his day. Seeing Mido guarding the entrance to the Great Deku Tree’s grove, Navi knew that this could be problematic. It was no secret that Mido felt that he and Link were something of rivals, though Link barely paid it mind. “Halt!” Mido exclaimed as Link approached the entrance, “What business have you with the Great Deku Tree?”

“The Great Deku Tree wants to see him. That is all you need know,” Navi replied in a somewhat disgusted tone.

Navi never really liked Mido in the first place, what with all of his talk about being the chief of the Kokiri, despite the fact that the Great Deku Tree had never said anything of the sort. He merely chose Mido as the guardian to his grove. It didn’t mean that he meant for him to rule over the Kokiri. Alas, there was very little she could do about it, as the Deku Tree made a point to only involve himself in Kokiri affairs if it was absolutely necessary. He merely provided them shelter and guidance, never law.

“You stay out of this fairy. Link’s business is his own. I think he can defend himself,” Mido snidely said, “Though I must say Link, I am impressed that a fairy finally came to you. How long has it been now? Nine, ten years?”

“Ten,” Link replied distantly.

“Ah yes. Ten. Well, I suppose that it’s gotta happen sometime. But don’t go around thinking that just because you’ve got a fairy that you’re one of us. You’re still a freak. I, Mido, shall never accept you as a Kokiri.”

“Fine by me,” Link replied, making his disinterest in Mido’s preaching quite apparent.

Mido, unsure of how to respond to this, scowled and reluctantly stepped aside, allowing Link to pass. “Just remember this,” he added as Link passed by him, “Without Saria, you’re nothing. You have no friends, no family. Only Saria is what even gives your life anything. Other than her, you’re a meaningless, purposeless whelp that no one will remember once you are gone.”

Navi couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She was about to turn around and say something to Mido when she saw something even more unbelievable: Link was walking away! He ignored what Mido had said and just continued heading towards the Deku Tree’s grove. Perhaps Link wasn’t as much of a brainless brute as Navi had first thought.

Link and Navi travelled down a long and winding path for several minutes before finally arriving at the grove. Though Link had heard some brief descriptions of the Deku Tree’s appearance, nothing could prepare him for what sight lay before him now.

A monstrous tree, its limbs reaching to the sky, its roots, sometimes reaching heights of over fifteen feet, firmly planted in the ground. About forty feet off the ground in the center of the tree’s face was a large wooden protrusion in the shape of a nose. It had no eyes, at least as far as Link could tell; only two eyebrows, formed from what appeared to be a darker wood, resting just above its nose. The same darker wood also seemed to form a mustache, nestled neatly underneath the nose. Link could see no discernable mouth. He could not even begin to wager a guess at the circumference of the tree’s base, though he could tell that it was close to one hundred feet in diameter. As Link looked upward he saw the tree’s canopy. He could not tell how wide it was, for it extended beyond the walls of the grove. The tree looked as though it had been there for millennia, accruing ancient wisdom for longer than Link cared to think about.

“Welcome, Link,” the tree said in a deep, gravelly voice that shook the very ground where Link stood.

It seemed as though the sound had come from the earth itself, for no mouth of any kind had opened. All of the bushes around Link quivered at the sound, for they too felt the rumbling of the Great Deku Tree’s booming voice. “Thou must be in bewilderment as to why I hath summoned thee hence,” the Deku Tree began, “All shall be revealed in due time.”

Navi could see the puzzled look on Link’s face as the words of the Great Deku Tree fell on simple ears: perhaps too simple. “Link, verily say I unto thee, thou art mine only hope. Listen well to what I have to tell thee. A terrible curse hath been set upon me, and I will surely be doomed lest a brave soul venture forth into the confines of mine body and purge this evil from me. Only one who is susceptible to the evil within me can hope to defeat it. Link, ye are the only Kokiri susceptible to this darkness, by virtue of having no fairy guardian. It manifests itself in the form of terrible nightmares.”

Link’s expression suddenly turned from one of slight interest to horror. The Deku Tree had spoken and true and blatantly. Navi need only look at the expression of terror on Link’s face to know that he was indeed having the nightmares the Deku Tree spoke of. After a long silence, Link finally managed to find his voice and say, “What of it?” in a timid manner that Navi did not know Link had.

Though she had only known him a short time, she had heard tell of him before. All the stories of Link mentioned how distanced from the other Kokiri he was, how he was somewhat of a simpleton, a man of strength, but never of being a fearful creature. In point of fact, most of the stories surrounding Link focused on how he appeared fearless, even venturing into the Lost Woods from time to time, something that those without the blessing of the Deku Tree would never dare. In fact, the stories portrayed Link as something of an enigma, but Navi could now see that if Link was cut deep enough, he did still bleed.

“Your expression verifies my suspicions, Link,” the Deku Tree continued, this time with Link’s full attention, “What I ask of ye is to venture into the unknown, and rid me of this terrible curse. I do not expect ye to carry forth this task without incentive, hence I have prepared a just reward for thee if thou dost return. Will thou take upon thyself the mantle of this task?”

Link stared intently at the Deku Tree for several seconds before finally nodding his head very slowly. Navi could sense that he was reluctant to enter, terrified of what he might find if he did.

“Then enter, brave one, and may the gods be with thee so as thou may emerge victorious.”

A thunderous snapping jarred Link from his intense stare and a slit appeared just below the mustache of the Deku Tree. With a loud creaking noise, the slit widened and then opened up, the lower ‘lip’ of the tree touching the ground. The gaping hole left behind was several times taller than link, and was wide enough that three could walk abreast.

Link began walking towards it and paused just for a moment as he stood directly in front of the gaping hole before continuing on. Though the hesitation was only slight, Navi immediately saw it and a wave of pity washed over her as she realized Link’s true fear of entering this place. Perhaps it wasn’t something that even he could define, but he knew that if he were to step into that hole, that he may not return. Nonetheless he drew his dagger from his sheath and entered the mouth of the Deku Tree.

I really like it, the characterisation of Link fits rather well with the dark tone, so you definitely achieved your aim of making it more mature and dark. Its very well written, and I look forward to further chapters - though I do wonder how close you'll stick to the original storyline and what you'll change to give it more darkness.

Aralith, I commend you for actually trying and not writing in a stupid script format. ^_^

Okies I have finally written a review for this fanfic. Dont you feel happy?

This story is a much darker retelling of Ocarina of Time then I am used to which makes this much more original then all the other, happy retelling.

Link's personality is interesting he comes off as dark and sarcastic which is exactly what you are trying to protray. Though if he is so dark now I wonder how he is going to be after the story is done. I look forward to see how Link interacts with other characters.

About how I mentioned about the paragraphs being to big? It isnt as bad as I first thought. Though you can easily break up certain paragraphs without ruining the effect. (If you are wondering about it I will tell you during MSN)

All in all I like this story I am now a fan and I am going nominate this story.

~Midori-Rinku

Well, people, here it is: Chapter Three. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Three

With baited breath, Link crossed the threshold into the darkness of the pit before him. It seemed almost to swallow him into it. The only light sources were the outside behind him and Navi. Though the companionship of a fairy he barely knew would normally seem pathetic, now he was glad for her presence. Somehow, being frightened with someone else seemed far more comforting than being frightened and alone. Despite that, Link still felt a tremendous amount of fear; even the air he breathed seemed disheartening, almost as though whatever was lingering in this abysmal hollow was fear incarnate.

Trying to rid himself of the feeling of dread, Link studied the gloom, searching for something, anything that could be of use. After a few minutes, a faint glow in the distance caught his attention. Fumbling his way over to the source of light, he tripped over something soft and moist. A shrill cry caused him to immediately stand up and draw his dagger. It appeared that whatever it was he had stumbled over was alive. A small, almost reptilian slit of an eye glowed in front of him and the shrill cry again rang out. Not taking any chances, Link stabbed the creature in its pupil. Another cry, but this one sounded like in was in pain, rather than anger. The eye closed and Link heard a dull thud in front of him.

Almost in response to the creature’s death, the walls began rustling suspiciously. Link, unaware of the cause, and unable to see due to the gloom, pressed onwards towards the soft glow of light. It steadily grew brighter until finally Link rounded a corner and saw a torch mounted on the wall. He quickly ran over and snatched it from its mount, almost clinging to the light as though it were life itself. With the darkness parted, Navi watched as Link breathed a sigh of relief, and some of the fear left his eyes, as he squinted into the gloom to see what was in front of him. As he returned to the area where he had slain the creature, the rustling sound grew steadily louder. Almost as though it was closing in around him. Link looked out into the darkness but still saw nothing. Suddenly, eyes, just like the ones before, opened in the shadow.

Screeches rang out all around Link as he stood in the center of a hoard of invisible monsters. Slowly the eyes closed in around him and as they stepped into the light, he finally saw their figures. A misshapen orb with two gaunt legs protruding from the bottom half of it supported the small creature, each leg ending in a two pronged insect-like foot. It’s head appeared to be nothing but a large, lidless eye, wreathed with soft, fleshy growths. Hairs protruded from all over its grotesque body, if it could even be called that.

Navi could clearly see that Link was horrified by what he saw, and he began thrusting and slashing his dagger randomly in response. After a few seconds of this, he regained his composure and began to think rationally. He started to move more fluidly with his dagger, and began slaying the creatures as they came forward. But for every creature he dispatched another took its place. Wave after wave of the monsters crashed down on Link, but still he fended them offing. Slicing off their weak and flimsy legs, gouging out the creature’s eyes, Links wrath was visited upon them, but their progression was not stopped. Endless hoards of the creatures came down upon him relentlessly and mercilessly, but still he fought them, though for how much longer he could hold out, he did not know.

Then, from somewhere to the left of him, Link heard the voice of Navi crying out. But with the great cacophony of sound from slaughtering the creatures, Link couldn’t make out what she was saying. He called out to her to come closer to him. Unable to hear him, she cried out again, louder this time, “Link! There’s a way you can get out over here!”

This time, Link faintly heard her words. One strange feature of Link’s that separated him from the other Kokiri was his long and pointed ears that allowed him to hear better than all of his peers. It was this trait that now allowed him to hear the words of Navi. Though it was as naught more than a wind’s breath to Link, it was sufficient enough for him to understand what Navi was requesting of him. In accordance with this, he began hacking and slashing his way towards where Navi was hovering, though it proved difficult to make any progress with naught but a dagger. Slowly but surely though, he made his way over.

He was no more than a meter away from Navi when he felt a sudden shift in the terrain. Whereas before the ground had felt firm and hard, like a tree ought to, it now was soft and spongy, almost spring in fact. Each time Link took a step back, he could feel the floor sink and then rise back up. “Navi, where’s the way out?!” Link cried, slicing another creature’s underbelly, spilling its blood on the ground.

“You’re standing on it!” she yelled at him.

Link finally looked down at his feet to see what he was standing on. Below him was a thick layer of intertwined fibers that formed a mesh web of sorts. Not even thinking of the consequences, Link tossed the torch he still held onto the web and fell into the abyss as it grew weak and gave way. Fortunately for him, there was a pool of water below that allowed him to safely land, though he certainly didn’t escape pain. The moment he made contact with the water, a sting of pain shot through his entire right side. Surfacing, Link started rubbing his side until the foul reek of the water made its way into his nostrils. The subterranean lake was the most vile, filthy body of water he had ever laid eyes on. The odious stench of rotting wood and flesh just compounded this effect.

Scanning the area around him, Link realized that this room was actually lit, though the source of the light was unknown to him, as no torch was in sight. Nonetheless the light was present, so Link was allowed a glimpse of his surroundings. The body of water he was currently floating in was no more than ten meters across, and the shore was naught but a meter or two. Beyond that lay a large stone door that, for reasons unknown to him, frightened and intimidated Link in a way he had only experienced in his dreams.

Link was jarred from these thoughts though, as he heard the rustling sound from before above him. Without a moment to lose, he quickly swam to shore and looked for an exit. To his dismay, the only way out appeared to be through the massive door, but Link had no idea how to open it. Running up closer to it, he observed a thin cleft in the center; in actuality, it was a double door.

The rustling was growing louder, so Link, running out of options, pushed his body against the door with all of his might. At first nothing, but after a few moments, the sound of scraping stone could be heard. The door was slowly, but steadily, giving way to Link’s strength. After many more minutes of struggling, the sound of the creatures growing ever louder, the door was finally cracked enough to allow Link passage through it. He slid between the two slabs of rock and entered a narrow hallway. After taking a few more steps, the door slammed closed behind him, trapping him in a room that he feared for reasons he did not know.

I just read what you wrote so far, and I gotta say that I'm impressed. It's cool how you give Link life and emotion and depict the events of OoT in greater and darker detail.
I can't say much other that I'm really enjoying the fic and that the story has amazing detail.

*subscribes*
I'll be reading the next set of chapters

Excellent work Aralith! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think it'll be cool to see how Link's character develops, and getting to "meet" the NPCs. I hope you give them the depth and quality of the MM characters.

Originally Posted by Arix

I really like it, the characterisation of Link fits rather well with the dark tone, so you definitely achieved your aim of making it more mature and dark. Its very well written, and I look forward to further chapters - though I do wonder how close you'll stick to the original storyline and what you'll change to give it more darkness.

Well, there are definitely a few key changes I want to make to be sure. As of right now though, I'm not really for certain how far it will stray from OoT, but it will certainly do some straying, of that I can assure you.

Originally Posted by Lantean

Aralith, I commend you for actually trying and not writing in a stupid script format. ^_^

Thanks... I think.

Originally Posted by Midori-Rinku

Okies I have finally written a review for this fanfic. Dont you feel happy?

Yes I do.

This story is a much darker retelling of Ocarina of Time then I am used to which makes this much more original then all the other, happy retelling.

Originality is... always a plus.

Link's personality is interesting he comes off as dark and sarcastic which is exactly what you are trying to protray. Though if he is so dark now I wonder how he is going to be after the story is done. I look forward to see how Link interacts with other characters.

Well, you'll just have to read the story and find out.

All in all I like this story I am now a fan and I am going nominate this story.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by Erimgard

Excellent work Aralith! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Why thank you.

I think it'll be cool to see how Link's character develops, and getting to "meet" the NPCs. I hope you give them the depth and quality of the MM characters.

I very much intend to go as deep as MM did. After all, it's one of my favorite Zelda games, mostly because of this. Of course, I'd try to include this sort of thing.

great story,i love the descriptions and the emotion you put into the story,cant wait for more

Well, this chapter is quite a bit longer, and in my opinion better written, than the chapter previous. So yeah, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Four

Leaning against the wall and breathing heavily, Link was once again left with only the light of Navi to see by. A cold, blue light emanating from her illuminated the darkness, casting long shadows on the hard, wooden walls. Scanning his surroundings, Link noticed that the higher sections of the wall seemed weak, and frail, riddled with small holes, as though something had been feeding on the wood. And that’s when the smell hit him: a vile stench of rotting wood and flesh, similar to what he had smelt in the subterranean lake, but much, much stronger now. Doubling over in an attempt to catch his breath, he vomited from the foul smell. The reek filled his lungs as he vomited again.

After a few moments, he finally regained his composure and studied what he could of his surroundings in the dim light. He appeared to be in some kind of tunnel; one that appeared like it had been dug by an insect-like creature of some kind. A large beetle creature, or perhaps some kind of burrowing spider. Unpleasant thoughts entered Link’s mind as he realized that whatever created this tunnel must have been gargantuan, as the passage was several meters high and wide enough for four to walk abreast. Gathering the courage to continue forward, Link took his first step into the unknown. Little did he know it, but those were the steps that would seal his destiny.

After a long and uneventful trek through the passageway, Link came across a wide, expansive room, lit by torches. The walls were covered in thick webs, and long tendril of what appeared to be rotting flesh hung from the ceiling, dangling in a subtle breeze for which a source could not be found. On the far side of the circular room was the rotting carcass of a spider-like beast. It was quite clear to both Navi and Link that this was the creature that had created the tunnel, and was probably the source of the stench. “Navi,” whispered Link, not knowing why he was speaking so softly, “that tunnel looked like it was a pretty recent addition to this place, wouldn’t you say?”

“Well… yeah,” Navi said, a little confused as to what Link was trying to say. “I guess,” she added.

“Then why does that creature, which is almost certainly responsible for the passage, look like it’s been dead for months?” Link asked solemnly.

She began trembling in fear, as the impact of Link’s words suddenly became apparent to her. Hovering close to Link now, she truly feared what may have been lurking in the room. Looking up at the ceiling, she saw a mixture of rotting flesh and wood that looked like it might have caved in had it not been for the four pillars supporting it. The more Navi looked around, the more she realized that the room appeared to have been purposely dug out in a circular nature, almost like an arena.

Just as Navi was about to convey her thoughts to Link, a large drop of a strange, orange ooze splashed onto the ground right near Link’s feet, splattering onto his brown, leather boots. Both Link and Navi looked up to see more of the liquid being secreted from a large sphincter-like pore. “Navi, perhaps we shou-“ Link started.

“Shhh. Listen!” Navi whispered.

Link looked at her with a glare, slightly annoyed by her piercing voice, but decided to follow her advice and open his ears. Then, the same rustling sound from before, only more concentrated, coming from only one area somewhere on the ceiling. A cold wave of fear washed through Link, as panic struck him like a bucket of water. Looking around on the ceiling for any trace of what could have been causing the sound, he finally found the source.

A large, lidless, reptilian eye, just like the ones he had seen on the creatures earlier, was embedded in the fleshy ceiling. A mortifying sight, it froze Link where he stood. Then with no warning, the eye turned completely around, revealing a severed optic cord, before retracting into the ceiling. Link was suddenly jarred from his trance as his whole body convulsed momentarily and he drew a deep breath, as though he physically was incapable of moving whilst the eye’s glare pierced him. Taking a step back, trying to regain his composure, the whole ceiling suddenly sparked to life.

The long, fleshy tendrils lengthened themselves to the ground and started moving around. The one nearest Link zoomed toward his face and struck him down to the ground. Somewhat dazed, he tried to stand, only to have two of the tentacles wrap themselves around his feet and bear him aloft. Drawing out his dagger from its sheathe, he stabbed into one of the tendrils, piercing its skin, spewing out more of the orange gel. A screech in pain rang out; from where, Link did not know, but still the tentacle clung to him, it’s grip too strong to be released from a simple pin prick. Two other tentacles then flew down to restrain his arms, and raised him up to the ceiling, his face mere inches from the rotting flesh and wood. It was all Link could do to not vomit from the odor.

The rustling was again heard, as the skin of the ceiling was displaced, and the eye revealed itself again. Link now saw in detail just how horrendous the eye was: a yellow orb, wreathed in the same fleshy growths as the creatures, a thin, slit of a pupil with a red circle in the center of it, thick veins encroaching on the center of the eye, nearly crowding out the pupil. Link tried as hard as he could to turn his sight from it, but something about the eye kept attracting his gaze. Unable to wrench himself from it, he went into a trance of sorts. And that’s when he heard it. A calm, soothing voice: “I know you.”

It was beautiful. Could it have been coming from the eye? But then… there was no eye; there were no tentacles holding Link in place, and in fact, he found himself standing on top of a grassy knoll, with trees enclosing the grove on all sides. A beautiful maiden stood before him, clothed in all manner of exotic materials. Of all the things Link had seen in nature, nothing could possibl