"The Lost Woods.... a cursed place. Many have ventured deep into the forest but few have returned. Those that have returned tell of creatures that lurk within. Beasts that were once human but are no longer so. Only thieves and fools dare enter." The words her father had said still echoed in her mind. She walked along the edge of the Lost Woods, her long black hair glistening in the morning sun. Her blue eyes followed a small bird as it soared through the sky. Her short red dress rippled with the breeze. The sounds of life around her made her feel happy but these were interrupted by another sound. She froze, looking around her. Nothing. The sound came again, coming from within the Lost Woods. She stood there, staring at the woods. She knew she wasn't supposed to go into the woods but her curiosity got the better of her as she slowly entered the woods, travelling deeper and deeper. The sound came again, much closer this time. A deep, inhuman laughter accompanied it. Again the sound echoed throughout the woods. The young girl recognized it as metal colliding with metal. She reached toward the bushes ahead and froze. Pull yourself together Maria! You've come this far! Her thoughts edged her on. A yell from beyond the bushes caught her attention. She moved the leaves aside to see. Metal greeted metal once again. Maria looked for the source and froze in fear. Four Stalfos, skeleton soldiers, stood before her, staring at someone or something. A young boy, no older than 12 was there. Dressed in a green tunic and hat with brown boots. In his left hand he held a small sword, while a shield was in his right. With a yell he charged, dodging a blow from the lead Stalfos and retaliating with one of his own. His sword cutting through the Stalfos' spine.
"Heh, you'll have to do better then that!" the young boy said mockingly. Two of the Stalfos charged at him. With a speed Maria had never seen he'd dodged both Stalfos and began his attack. Maria watched in awe as the Stalfos were reduced to a pile of bones. The last Stalfos leapt into the air, sword raised, ready to strike. The boy rolled to the side, returning the sword to the scabbard on his back in a single motion. The Stalfos attempted another jump slash. The boy removed a small bow from his back and fired an arrow at his airborne target. The arrowhead glowed a pale blue as it flew toward its target. The arrow pierced the Stalfos' ribcage, magical energy emanating from the tip of the arrow. Maria stared in amazement as the Stalfos became encased in a block of ice and shattered as it hit the floor. The bones glowed for a moment before being engulfed in an unnatural blue flame. Maria moved back a little, trying to take in what she had just seen. How...how can a boy do that? She wondered to herself. She moved forward again, hoping to catch another glance of the boy. He was nowhere to be seen. A voice from beside her caused her to jump.
"What ya lookin' at?" Maria turned around to find herself staring at the young boy, a smile spread across his face. Maria didn't answer, she simply stared at him.
"So, what's your name?" the boy asked.
"M-Maria..." she stammered.
"I'm Link." the boy replied. Maria stared at him. His ocean blue eyes were full of innocence and joy. She wondered how a child that young could defeat one Stalfos, let alone four. She had seen her father fight those creatures before but never with the same ease that Link had. A rustling to her right made Maria panic. Link simply stared at the bushes. A small brown horse, barely able to carry a child, emerged from the undergrowth. Link walked up to it and began to pet it. The horse gently nuzzled him. Link laughed.
"OK, OK. I happy to see you too Epona." Maria looked on as Link continued to laugh. She let out a small giggle. Link turned to face her, a smile on his face.
"What brings you into the Lost Woods, Maria?" Link asked. Maria stared blankly at him for a moment before she replied.
"I heard some strange noises. I got curious and went looking for whatever was the source." Maria stared at the ground for a moment before she raised her head and spoke again.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Link simply smiled back at her.
"Just trying to get home." Maria was surprised by this reply. Before she could say anything more, Link butted in.
"It might be a good idea if we got out of here. The woods aren't exactly the safest place to be." Maria nodded in agreement. She didn't really want to end up cursed. Maria rose to her feet and dusted herself off. Maria looked at Link for a moment. He seems almost at home here. She began to wonder about Link. Maria knew it wasn't normal for a person to travel through the Lost Woods and it was even stranger for a child to do so. She turned away and began to walk back the way she came. Link followed her, Epona close behind him. Maria looked back over her shoulder to make sure Link was behind. To her surprise Link had stopped and was staring at a bush. Maria walk up to Link and began to speak but Link silenced her.
"We're not alone...." Link trailed off as his left hand reached for his sword. Maria slowly backed away, her gazed focused on the bush. She jumped as the bush began to rustle. It began to shake more and more violently. Maria held her breath as Link drew his sword. The forest had become silent. Maria felt her heart skip a beat as she waited for whatever was hiding to show itself.
"Link, is it..." Maria was cut short as a Stalfos burst out for the bush. Maria let out a scream. Link quickly assumed a defensive stance. He noticed something. The Stalfos was facing the bushes and was in the same stance. It's almost as if it's fighting something.... Link thought to himself. The air around them seemed to grow darker with each passing second. The sounds of the woods had grown silent. The bushes began to rustle. Link's reflexes kicking with lightning speed. He turned and ran toward Maria as a large scythe cut the Stalfos in half. Maria was in shock at what she'd just seen. She stood there, frozen to the spot. Everything seemed to slow down as a large creature emerged from the forest. It seemed to resemble a shadow. The only feature she could make out were two glowing red eyes.

Maria wanted to run but her body wouldn't respond. All she could do was stare at the creature. Her thoughts suddenly snapped back as she felt Link grab her arm and pull her towards Epona. Before she realised it, Link was trying to get her onto Epona's back.
"Maria, you have to get out of here. I'll try and hold it off." Link raised his shield. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Maria stared at Link for a moment. She couldn't believe that a young boy was willing to throw himself into such a situation.
"But Link, you'll...." Maria began but Link quickly cut her off. He turned to face her.
"Maria, listen. I'll be fine." Link looked over his shoulder at the creature behind them. It hadn't noticed them, or at least didn't care.
"I'm just gonna get its attention for a while." Link said with a grin.
"I'll be behind you, so don't stop. Okay?" Maria nodded. She climbed up onto Epona's back. A low hiss from behind them made Link look back at the creature. It had turned to face them. Its red eye's glowing with the desire to destroy. Link gripped his sword tighter. He stared into the creature's eyes and saw only hatred and the craving for destruction. The creature lowered its head and screeched. Maria covered her ears to try and block out the noise. Link winced; the screeching seemed to pierce his very soul. He glanced over at Epona and Maria.
"Maria, go!" Link yelled. Maria nodded as Epona began to gallop towards the edge of the Lost Woods and daylight. Link turned back to the creature just in time to see it race towards him. Link braced himself. The creature swung its scythe at Link, only to have the boy leap over its razor-sharp edge. Link retaliated with a strike from his sword. The blade sliced through the creature's shadow-like body but caused no damage, as if the creature wasn't really there.
"This isn't going to well..." Link muttered to himself as he dodged another attack. Link front flipped over the scythe and slashed at his opponent. His sword once again passed through the creature's body harmlessly. Great, now what? Link's mind began to race with possible ideas. Wait! That might just work... Link sheathed his sword and placed the shield on his back. The creature saw this as its moment to strike. It raised its arms into the air and hissed, the scythe's blade gleaming in the light. Link's right hand dug deep into one of the pouches hanging from his brown leather belt. The creature swung its scythe with inhuman strength. Link leapt over the blade once again and brought out a small brown nut from within the pouch. He threw the nut towards the ground, the hard shell cracking on impact. A blinding flash of light burst out from within the nut, blinding Link's attacker. The creature let out a soul-piercing screech as it drew its head back in agony. As the creature writhed in agony, Link turned and ran, following the tracks Epona had left as she escaped. Trees and bushes became a blur of greens and browns as Link continued to run, the damp grass making it difficult to avoid slipping. Link stumbled, he placed one hand on the ground as he fell, regaining his balance and kept running.
“Gotta keep moving!” Link spurred himself on. The creature hissed as its prey tried to flee, giving chase once its vision had returned. Link noticed that the trees around him began to arch overhead, forming a tunnel. Almost there… a light ahead of him signalled the way out. Even with the light ahead, everything seemed to grow darker as he ran. Link glanced behind him to find nothing but trees. Guess I lost it…Link thought as the light grew brighter. Link looked ahead and smiled. He passed the last of the trees and everything went white. His vision cleared a few seconds later, revealing a wide open field. Link looked around as he ran into the open, hoping to find Maria and Epona. Deciding it was safe, Link stopped to catch his breath. He placed both hands on his knees and lent forward. Sweat ran down his face before falling to the grass below. A slight breeze blew, rippling across the field like an ocean of green. Link looked up, trying to catch sight of Epona. He spotted her drinking from a small stream, Maria standing next to her, waving.
“Hey!” Link waved back, a smile on his face. The wind died down and the air grew darker. Link looked around, unsure of what was happening but he had an idea. Turning to face the entrance of the woods, Link drew his sword and shield, his shield’s reflective surface glistening in the sunlight. The air continued to grow darker as Maria watched on, unable to do anything. The branches of the trees began to shake, yet there was no wind. Link raised his shield, waiting for whatever was coming. The creature came charging out of the woods and straight at Link, causing him to roll to the side to dodge. It stopped and turned to face him. Link noticed that it was no longer holding a scythe. Its hands were empty, allowing Link to see its talons. The creature stared at Link, growling at him. It hissed, charging again. Link dodged to the side again, trying to think of a way to attack back against it. He put his sword away and removed his bow, keeping his shield ready at all times. Let’s see how this shadow likes the light…Link cocked an arrow, its arrowhead radiating a faint golden glow. The creature tried to swipe at Link, only to have him fire his arrow at it. The arrowhead exploded in a blast of golden light as it impacted the creature’s shoulder. The creature threw its head back in pain and screeched, clutching its wound.
“So you can be hurt!” Link grabbed another arrow and readied his bow again, aiming for the creature’s head. Link fired the arrow, only to have it sail past his target.
“Uh-oh!” The creature smacked Link in the chest, sending the young boy flying through the air and into a tree. Link slid down the tree, landing on the ground with a thud. Link looked up, trying to remain conscious. He saw the creature hovering over him, looking down at its prey. Link raised his shield and waited for it to attack, but it didn’t. It simply turned its head and stared at the Lost Woods, distracted by something. Link heard the creature growl and begin to leave as his vision starting to blur. The creature took one last look at the boy before melting into the shadows. Link looked across to see Epona and Maria heading over to him. Then darkness took its hold as his consciousness faded.

Darkness stretched on for as far as the eye could see; nothing visible to the one who travelled its endless reaches. Where am I? Link tried to look around, moving but not walking. He couldn’t feel his body, unable to hear any sounds. Total silence surrounded him; sensory depravation of the highest order greeted him on every side. The silence was broken by whispers from the darkness, murmurs growing louder with each passing moment. Link found himself trying to block everything out, hearing the voices growing louder.

“You don’t belong…” He turned, finding the darkness gone. He could see clearly, looking down at his hands. He glanced around, realising he was standing in Hyrule Field. It was the field he knew and loved; only it was different, darker and barren. It looked like it did during Ganondorf’s reign, dark clouds lingering in the sky.

“You don’t belong…” Link spun around to face the voices, finding several children standing there. Each one wore similar clothes to his, forest green tunic and brown boots. More appeared, glowing balls of light hovering around them. Link recognised the lights as fairies, the children as Kokiri. One child stood out amongst the others, emerald green hair shimmering in the faint light.

“S-Saria?” He stared at her, trying to make sense of the vacant look on her face. She no longer seemed like the girl he’d grown up with, no longer the childhood friend who he had shared his youth with. He stepped forward, stopping when she spoke.

“You don’t belong here Link; you don’t belong in the forest. You’re Hylian; you belong outside the forest…with them…” Link stared at her blankly, feeling tears begin to form in his eyes. He didn’t have time to reply, the children before him seemed to ripple and distort before fading. More voices snapped him away from the empty space in front him, urging him to turn around. He obeyed, being greeted by a group of Hylian children. The same words hung in the air, haunting him. Their expressions were just as blank as those on the Kokiri, devoid of all emotion. A young girl stepped forward, her long red hair making her stand out from the crowd. Her clothes were simple, a plain white dress with a small gold amulet around her neck.

“Malon? What’s going on?” Link looked at her, hoping for an answer. The expression on her face was the same as the one Saria had worn, blank and emotionless. He took a step back, watching her look up at him.

“You don’t belong with us. You were raised as one of them, a Kokiri. You belong in the forest.” The children began to fade away, disappearing one by one. Link reached out to is friend, his hand passing through her as though she was simple an illusion, rippling like a reflection in the water. The voices never ceased, hunting Link from every side. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head in an attempt to drown out the noise. Tears fell, falling silently too the ground. He could hear something approaching, footsteps growing nearer. They were coming from behind him, where Saria had been. He turned to face the source, hoping to see his friend. His eyes widened in fear, his body frozen. An armoured figure stood before him, towering over him. The armour shimmered in the light, the blades of its battle axe sparkling with deadly beauty. Link recognised it, an Iron Knuckles. The beast raised its weapon high above its head, Link’s eyes closing tightly as it came down. The sound of steel impacting the ground echoed all around, the last sound to be heard before everything grew dark and silent once again.

Link bolted upright, sweat running down the sides of his face. He looked around, his mind slowly taking note of where he was. He found himself in a small room, sitting on a bed. Just a nightmare…just the same stupid nightmare… He glanced down; pulling the covers up higher when he noticed the top of his tunic was missing. White bandages were tightly wrapped around his ribs, another around his head. A wave of nausea and dizziness washed over him, making the world around him spin. He groaned as he leaded forward, sitting up again at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Glad to see you’re awake, you had us really worried.” The half dressed boy looked around, seeing Maria sitting on a chair beside the bed. He glanced past her, seeing his equipment lying in the corner of the room. Maria followed his gaze, reaching into a pouch that hung from her waist.

“You hit the tree pretty hard; a lot of your stuff was damaged. Your bow, sword and shield escaped undamaged; so did your masks. I left them in here so the little ones won’t try to play with them. There was…one other item that wasn’t damaged…” Maria turned her gaze to meet his, pulling a small object from the pouch. She held a beautiful blue Ocarina, three small golden triangles glistening at the base of the mouth piece. Link recognised it as a gift from one of his closest friends, the Ocarina of Time. He gently took it from Maria, pulling it close to his chest and closing his eyes. He smiled; relieved it hadn’t been damaged in any way.

“Thank you…” Link’s voice echoed softly throughout the room, making Maria smile. She brushed a strand of black hair from her face, pushing him back down onto the bed.

“You’re welcome. Now, get some rest. You need it.” Link nodded at Maria, giving a yawn. The nightmare had taken its toll on his already tired body, his eyes drifting closed as he lay there. In a matter of moments he was asleep again, Maria watching over him. She brushed some hair away from his face, moving it behind his Elvin ears.

“Sleep well…you have a long road ahead of you…” Maria watched him smile in his sleep, holding the Ocarina close to his heart. She couldn’t help but smile, leaning back on her chair as she watched over his sleeping form.

“Your journey’s only just begun…”

Sunlight filtered through the window of the caravan, casting shadows over the room as if trying to grasp at whoever was inside. The room was empty, devoid of life for the time being, its occupant no longer resting.

Clad in the green of fields, Link sat beside what appeared to be a pond a short ways from the caravan, in his hands rested his Hero's Bow, his eyes scrutinising it for any sign of damage or weakness following his encounter with the creature a handful of days ago. The shaft of the bow seemed to be sound, there didn't appear to be any cracks or breaks along to the wood. The only damage done to the weapon was that the string had snapped. It was unfortunate for Link that he didn't know anyone or anywhere to get the bow restrung, nor did he know how to resting it himself. The quiver for his bow was intact, yet lay empty now. What few arrows he had before the fight had been lost when he hit the tree, either scattered or broken, the memory of which made him sigh and scratch his blonde hair. He winced and gave a sharp hiss, his head was still sore from where he'd hit the tree and his entire body felt heavy and sluggish.

Sprawled at around him were the remnants of his equipment; items and weapons gathered from Termina and Hyrule, many ancient and mystical by nature. He had spent the last few days resting in bed and decided that he couldn't lie around any longer, the thought of not doing anything and relying on others bothered him. The caravan turned out to be part of a group that were travelling around and would past close to Hyrule's boarders in about a week, which made the journey seem easier since he wasn't alone. They'd stopped to rest the horses and gather some supplies from a nearby town, so Link took the time to go though his possessions and check them over for damage. So far things weren't going so well; most of his items were either broken in some way or simply refused to work. Even his Whirling Blade technique, the magically augmented Spin Attack handed down to him by the Great Fairies had slipped from his grasp. His magic had left him, along with the strength and stamina gained from his quest in Termina, leaving him weakened and no stronger than when he set out from Hyrule.

Setting the bow down he picked up the Hookshot from beside him, examining what was easily the most damaged of his items. A large crack extended from the firing trigger, running down the golden body to the hook itself, exposing the complex inner workings of the device to the eye. A couple of the gears looked bent and the chain looked damaged, a fact that became truth when a test fire of it caused the mechanism to seize up and jam. What had once been an invaluable tool was now little more than dead weight, he only hoped that someone would be able to repair or replace it sometime in the future.

The rest of his items varied in levels of damage; from the hardly touched, but empty, pouches that held Deku Seeds, Sticks and Bombs, to the shattered remains of glass bottles and a wooden Pictograph box. The bottles had been the most useful items at his disposal; enchanted glass containers that had at one time or another held all manner of liquids, concoctions and other useful items ranging from insects up to and including Fairies. Now they were but glass shards wrapped up in cloth, all but one of the six shattered beyond use. Link had found the cork had been lost, but had replaced it with one from the broken bottles.

There wasn't much that had escaped without damage; The Lens of Truth seemed unscathed but refused to work without magic to fuel its truthful gaze and the large and somewhat unwieldy Great Fairy Sword was lost in the forest following the encounter, while the four masks that Link had kept from Termina were safely locked away in a chest in the caravan. The first three had at one time allowed him to take on the form of another race, Deku Scrub, Goron and Zora, but their power too seemed to have vanished. The final mask was similar, but vastly more dangerous. Gifted to him by Majora itself before they battled, the mask seemed to resemble the face of a silver haired Hylian adorned with war paint. From inside the mask, Link had been able to feel a dark power radiating. Even Tatl, the fairy who had accompanied Link on his quest, commented that it might very well be as dark and as powerful as Majora; an evil and wicked entity that had threatened to destroy Termina as well as threatening the world at some point in the past. As tempted as Link had been to use that mask to face Majora on an even footing, he couldn't bring himself to use it. Something deep inside him warned him against it, warning him that he could become the very thing he fought against when he stood against Ganondorf and Majora.

The only other items Link had that had escaped damage were a pair of Ocarinas; the first was a brilliant blue with three golden triangles set at the base of the mouthpiece in the shape of a larger triangle. This was the Ocarina of Time; a treasured possession of the Hyrule Royal Family. He couldn't begin to understand what had driven Princess Zelda to lend him such a precious object, given they weren't exactly close friends, but it had been invaluable in saving Termina. Perhaps Zelda had a vision or a dream, much like she had done with Ganondorf. Link pondered this as he brought the second Ocarina, a plainer looking one, up to eye level. This one had been his first Ocarina; a gift from his closest, and perhaps his only friend, when he first left the Kokiri Forest. Even after gaining the Ocarina of Time, he kept the Fairy Ocarina with him as a memento and a good luck charm. Bringing the small brown Ocarina to his mouth, he began to play a few notes, only to be interrupted by an apple landing in his lap and breaking his concentration. He looked up to see Maria looking over his shoulder, her black hair shimmering in the morning light.

"I thought you might be hungry." Maria gave Link a smile and sat down beside him, picking up his bow and looking at it. She carefully set it down and took a bite out of her own apple, looking out over the water without saying anything for a moment. "Can I ask you a favour? I want to go into town to pick up some things before all the good stuff sells out, but no one can take me. They're all busy and they won't let me go alone. So, I was wondering if you could take me."

Looking over towards him, she could only watch as Link picking up several of his items, watching in amazement as he managed to fit them in to pouches and wallets that should have been much too small to hold them. Soon everything was tucked away out of sight, leaving only Link's treasured Kokiri Sword and his reflective, yet creepy, Mirror Shield visible. The face on the shield was barely visible in the daylight, so much so that it wouldn't be noticed unless reflected on to a wall. As he rose to his feet he offered his hand to her, smiling and motioning with his head. "What are we waiting for?"

Time seemed to pass quickly as Link and Maria walked along a well trodden dirt path, the peaceful sounds of the world around them broken occasionally by the sound of laughter. After finally getting permission from Maria's father, they had been allowed to depart once he had sharpened the Kokiri Sword and filled Link's only remaining bottle with homebrewed Red Potion. Link was certain he'd over-filled it, since he'd barely been able to get the cork back in without losing any of the contents. He'd been thankful for his giving him a whetstone to sharpen his sword with, although he wasn't keen on sharpening it too much since he was only borrowing the sword while he travelled. He knew better than to argue, the man had been so well built he looked like he could heft a fully grown Goron with one hand before throwing it a mile.

The journey into town was unremarkable, the time spent by Link entertaining Maria with tails of some of his travels and adventures in Termina; of battling monsters and exploring forgotten temples, being careful about what he said and leaving out the parts about the Skull Kid and Majora's Mask. Maria's responses were as varied as the stories Link told, although often her reactions consisted of her giggling, giving Link a shove, calling him a terrible liar with an overactive imagination. Stopping to take in the beauty around then, Link stretched his arms out in front of him and then above him, feeling several muscles pop in his back. He looked back over his shoulder at the field they'd been walking across for the last hour, the indent from the wheels of a heavy wagon and footprints marring the otherwise unspoilt sea of green that reminded him of Hyrule Field.

"Are you listening?" These three words snapped Link back to reality, turning his attentions back to Maria. He simply nodded and remained mute, something he often did when caught off guard or put on the spot in some way, prompting a sigh from his companion as they started walking again. "Anyway, like I was saying, I wanted to ask you about your pouches. How are you able to place all your items into something so small?" The answer she got was not what she expected; Link simply shrugged and placed his hands behind his head as he walked.

"I don't know, I just can I guess. Maybe they're bigger on the inside or magic or something. I never stopped to think about it." He could see the confusion on Maria's face and smiled, leaving her guessing for a moment before continuing. "Everyone in my village has them; mostly they use them for gathering fruits and vegetables, but I find they make an ideal adventurer's pouch. No matter how heavy an item, if you place it into the pouch it never makes it weigh any more. I never questioned it because it's normal to me."

Maria let out a sigh and shook her head, curious about how the pouches worked but it was obvious to her she wasn't going to get any answers from Link. Her demeanour picked up when she began to hear the sounds of the town ahead of them. Giving a giggle she ran ahead of Link. "Come on slowpoke." Link gave a snort and chased after her, not wanting to lose sight of her.

By the time he'd caught up to her they were both screeching to a halt at the gate of the town, able to see the people moving about and jostling for positions at the stalls and booths lining the sides of the road. Both of them looked at the crowd with a mixture of awe and joy, taking in the madness for a moment before trying to dart and weave their way through the crowd. After much effort they found themselves at the centre of the town, resting on the edge of an ornate stone fountain to catch their breath. It had been a long time since either of them had seen that many people in one place; all around them was the chatter of friends and the shouts of merchants trying to sell their wares, the angry exchanges between people as they bartered over prices or argued over who saw what item first at the stalls. It was enough to make Link think the world had gone insane. Turning her head toward Link, Maria tried to say something, but her words were lost in the noise around them. The only way she could get his attention was to poke him, which got her a poke in her arm and a childish grin from him before he leaned in to listen to her. A quick conversation saw them disagree on what to do; Maria wanting them to go separate ways and do their own thing, while Link was a little worried about keeping track of his friend, both for her safety and because he didn't want to answer to her giant of a father. In the end they decided to stick together, and it wasn't long before they were standing side by side at a medicine stall, Maria haggling with the merchant over a bunch of herbs while Link yawned and moved on to the adjacent stall. Looking over the items, he picked up a small bundle of arrows and asked the merchant the price, hoping he had enough with the few Rupees he had tucked away. The answer, however, was not what he expected.

"Bundle of arrows? Two coppers." Link blinked and dug into his wallet, bringing out a small red gem and two blue ones, amounting to 30 Rupees. This would normally have gotten him a bundle twice the size of the one he held; instead it got the one in his hand snatched away from him along with a rather nasty glare. "I said two copper coins, not three stones. Do I look like a charity case to you?" The merchant grumbled and shooed Link away from the stall, quickly turning his attention to someone else and trying to talk them into a purchase. Stuffing the Rupees back into his wallet Link walked away, not getting far before he saw someone at another stall calling him over.

"Oi. Yeah, you in the green. Come 'ere" The merchant waved Link over and kicked a box his way, letting the lad climb up for a better look at his wares. "I can see you ain't from 'round 'ere. Maybe we can 'elp each other out." Climbing onto the box, Link looked at the various items laid out before him, leaning on the edge of the stall for support before looking up at the merchant. The man was rather large and barrel-chested, tall and muscular like some would expect an adventurer to be. His brown, unkempt hair looked as though it had been cropped short but left to its own devices as it grew, growing uneven and covering the tips of his pointed ears.

His face and forearms arms were covered in various scars, ranging from minor cuts and faded marks to more prominent sets that looked like they were made by some very sharp claws. One scar was particularly nasty and caught Link's attention; starting part way into the merchant's throat it wrapped around to the left of his neck, running up to his jaw and then along to his ear, curling behind it and up the back of his head, leaning deep trenches in his hair, the hair around it hanging over it and masking the full extent of the damage. The rest of his upper body was hidden by a ragged grey tunic, soiled in places with dried mud, flashes of silver peaking out from tears and rips in the fabric as something underneath reflected the light of day. "Feel free to 'ave a look. We'll make a deal if you see somethin' ya like."

Link looked over the items before giving a disappointed sigh, stepping down from the box as he got a rather bemused look from the merchant. "I don't have anything to pay with. Not anything that is taken here." Digging in to his pouch he pulled out the Rupees from before and showed them to the merchant, this time it was Link's turn to look bemused as the merchant threw his head back and laughed.

"I was right; you ain't from 'round 'ere. They use coins out 'ere. He pulled out a couple of copper and silver coins, showing them to the boy. "Bits of metal they beat flat. Different metals are worth more. They're called Leots, but no one really uses that name, they just call 'em coins or refer to them by the metal they're made of. Just like those Rupees, you use 'em to buy stuff. These ones…" He held up a copper coin before continuing "are made of copper. They call 'em coppers 'round 'ere. Lowest value coins they use, they're worth one Leot. The other one is silver, an' a silver coin is worth twenty coppers. There's a gold one an' all, that's worth the most. You get a bag o' those and you can have anything ya want from any stall 'ere." He gestured around him with arms out wide, drawing more than a few glances and glares from the other people. "And since I like ya, I'll buy something off ya. Ya see, I'm a collector of rare items, equipment and treasures, and that there shield of yours is mighty rare indeed." Link pulled the Mirror Shield off his back and looked at it, angling it so it didn't reflect the sunlight into his eyes. He had always thought it to be unremarkable; to him it appeared to be little more than a highly polished metal plate fixed to a small brown shield by three gold finger-like clamps on the left and right of the shield. The only part that stood out was the distressed face in the metal that appeared when reflecting light from its surface.

"Mirror Shields are rare, not many blacksmiths know how to make one. At least, not many know how to make a good 'un." The words caused Link to snap out of his stare, almost losing his green hat as his head snapped up to look at the merchant. "So I'll offer ya a deal; twenty silver coins and thirty coppers. How's that sound to ya?" The larger of the two watched as the boy thought it over, staring into the shield as if it held the answers. "I'll even throw in a replacement shield for ya." He turned around and rummaged through a crate of goods behind him, muttering to himself about misplacing merchandise before picking up something wrapped in cloth and turning back around. "Ya might like this. Good quality shield it is." He pulled back the cloth to show off a metal shield slightly larger than the shield Link already had and much different in appearance; the main body was a royal blue, surrounded on all sides by a boarder of bare silvery metal. The shield was an odd yet familiar shape, starting at a point at the top and gently sweeping down either side, the edges then curving outward and down to the bottom of the shield until they formed a single point again. A little less than half the shield's face was covered with an image of a red bird of some sort, above which stood three golden triangles forming a larger whole, two on the bottom with one at the top. These were instantly recognizable to Link as a symbol of the Triforce, a divine relic of the gods hidden in Hyrule and a symbol of the kingdom. Link recognized the shield right away as being a Hylian Shield, or at least a variant of Hylian Shield since it smaller than the ones used by the Knights in Hyrule but still larger than the Mirror Shield. It wasn't exactly child-sized, but it looked small enough that he could use it. He'd once owned a full sized Hylian Sheild meant for adult use, and the best he could manage was to keep it on his back and defend like a turtle by crouching and bending over so the blows struck the shield like a shell.

"Make it twenty-five silver coins and twenty-five coppers and you have a deal." Link watched with a smile as the large man howled with laughter and then countered with another offer, marginally above his original. Link shot back with his own and the two were battering and haggling like it was a game, trying to see which would back down and concede first. In the end it was Link who relented and accepted the latest offer of twenty-three silver coins and twenty copper coins, which put him slightly above the original offer's value. A quick count in his head told Link that he now had four-hundred and eighty Leots and a new shield to boot, one that didn't send chills up his spine and offered better protection. Handing over the Mirror Shield, he watched the merchant wrap it in cloth and the place it into a large trunk behind him, locking it with a large metal padlock and pocketing the key before handing over the new shield to his customer. Taking in both hands Link flipped it over, checking the back for any sings of damage to the wood underneath, the metal handle or to the leather strap. Once he was satisfied it was sound, he slipped his right arm through the strap and grasped the handle, giving it a few shakes to check the weight was comfortable before bringing it up in a defensive way. He nodded, more to himself than to anyone else, and quickly slid the shield off and reached behind him, managing to hook it onto the leather belt that held the scabbard for his sword without needing to see what he was doing. He rolled his shoulders and almost fell back from the weight increase throwing him off balance, quickly finding his feet and his balance before seeing a brown pouch resting on the edge of the stall.

"Them there are ya coins. Don't go spending them all at once now." The merchant gave Link a beaming smile and crossed his arms over his barrel chest, watching the boy fasten the pouch to his belt among the others. "So then, what are ya buyin'?" Link looked up at him with a smile and hopped back up onto the box, picking through the odds and ends for anything that might be useful or that would make a nice gift to take back. It wasn't long before he was haggling again over trinkets and knickknacks, pulling out his bow from one of his pouches and handing to the merchant for examination, asking if he knew anyone who could restring it and making sure to point out that it wasn't for sale and that he just needed to get it repaired. Raising the eyebrow, he looked at the boy and asked "How did you manage to fit this in one of those?" His reply was a shrug and a rather confused look, followed by "It's bigger on the inside. I don't know how it works, it just does." The larger of the two quickly gave up on the conversation, since it was apparent it wasn't going to get him anywhere, instead turning his attention to the bow. Pulling a small, thin wire from a pouch he tied it to the bottom of the bow, pulling down hard on the to until the shaft bent over and then tying the other end to the top, restringing the bow and then handing it back to the boy. "Three coppers and I'll throw in a bag of strings." Link dug around in the pouch for three of the copper coins and handed them over, taking back the bow and another pouch for his growing collection, pulling out one of the bow strings and using it to tie his Bomb Bag closed before attaching both to his belt and stuffing his bow back into where it came from with another curious look from the merchant.

As Link stepped down from the edge of the stall, something to the corner sparkled and caught his eye, he hand reaching over and pulling back a piece of cloth to reveal three small pendants; each one comprised of a golden chain suspending what appeared to be a small shard of a precious stone. Bringing the first one up to the light, he watched at the light caught the edges and seemed to dance about inside the ruby red shell, as if trapped and seeking to escape into the world. The second was a brilliant blue stone that Link assumed to be a sapphire, the light different as it passed through. Instead of dancing and moving, the light seemed to hang in place and hover, almost content to remain trapped forever. The final of the three was a radiant emerald that caught the light in a way that it seemed to bend and weave inside, reflecting off the sides and imperfections, like a great storm raging within. Digging into his pouch, he offered five pieces of silver for each of the pendants, turning over the coins with a smile before handing them back, taking the pendants and slipping them into a pouch before hopping off the box, thanking the large man, and disappearing back into the crowd with a wave and a smile.

It didn't take long for Link to muscle his way back to where he'd left Maria, stifling a chuckle as he saw her exactly where he left her, still haggling over herbs to the point where she didn't even seem to notice he'd been gone. He returned to the stall next to her and turned his attention to the assorted adventurers provisions before him, receiving an angry glare from the merchant behind the stall as he picked up two bundles of arrows and several bombs, tucking the fist sized blue spheres into his Bomb Bag before slipping the arrows into the quiver and making a quick count, happy that the number was at least in the double digits, setting down eight copper coins in front of the scowling man before moving back to Maria's side and waiting for her to finish up. It took her a few moments of further haggling to acknowledge Link's return, if she even noticed his absence in the first place, and a little while longer even notice the differences in his equipment and items.

He watched her tuck the herbs into a bag before smiling at him, his right hand scratching the back of his head absentmindedly. He looked at his hand as she took him by his left wrist and suddenly dragged him into the crowd, giving a yelp and following as they ducked and dived through the sea of bodies before emerging on the other side. The area was wide open and only a single large house stood there, set against the face of a cliff. The house itself was at least three stories tall, in addition to any basement or cellar it might have had, but it looked like it had seen better days; tiles hung dangerously from the roof, several those that remained up there were cracked in places and numerous were missing altogether. Two of the windows on the upper levels had their glass smashed, with the ground levels boarded haphazardly with rotting planks. Link wandered over to the door and gave it a push, finding it to be surprisingly solid and recoiling when he heard a meek voice behind him. "Stay away from that house." He spun on his heels to find a young girl beside Maria, watching as his companion jumped in fright from her sudden appearance before trudging over to her. "It's a haunted house, no one who goes in come back out. No one's gone in for a long, long time." The girl bounced on her heels as she spoke, almost excited to be talking to them, her auburn hair forming waves behind her and her sunset yellow dress dancing in the breeze.

Stopping in front of her, Link shuddered for a moment, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise. A gasp and a giggle from the girls was all the incentive he needed to turn on the spot, greeted by coming face to face with something shiny and blue. It took but an instant to recognise the colour and lunged for the object, watching it float of his reach and taunt him with a cackle, something unseen and familiar teasing him with it. "A Poe…" he growled, clenching his fists and making another dive for the object, missing and fall face first into the dirt. "Give back that Ocarina!" He pushed himself to his feet and sprinted for the instrument, finding it constantly out of his reach before it flew over his head, laughter echoing around him as he chased it further and further from people, twisting and turning and leading him towards the dilapidated building. The door swung open and the Ocarina disappeared into the darkness, Link skidding to a halt and catching his breath as Maria nervously came up next him, a hand on his shoulder and urging him to let it go, stepping back as the boy unhooked the shield from his back and edged towards the building, stepping over the threshold and into the darkness, the door slamming close and the same cackle filling the air. Standing behind Maria was the girl, giggling and watching like it was all a play, a wicked smile flashing across her face before the look of innocence masking it.