Canto First, DemonSong

As the sun rose over Hyrule field, the plain was washed over by a sea of molten gold, glinting in the light beautifully. Naruto did not care for it at all. He pushed himself further, leaving behind the rugged world outside, looking only at the high granite walls. They seemed already a behemoth, and still he would not reach them until near noon.
He was exhausted. He had spent two nights on the plain now, in hellish conditions. Winds picked up after dark, and undead, corpses of children rose from the ground, looking to feed on his flesh. His sword was stained with oily black that became sticky as it dried. The blood of demons. He had not eaten since leaving the forest. His insides ached, twisting in knots and crying out for mercy. The cloth of his tunic chafed painfully against a gash in his right shoulder. Navi was feather light against his left shoulder, wings dry and brittle in the summer heat.

He realized that perhaps he would have reached town the previous evening if he had a map, but it went without saying, the Kokiri had no use for something showing the way outside the only place where they could survive. Naruto snorted, thinking of the false smiles. The wound on his heart festered more and stung. He felt at his belt.

He had taken a pouch of weapons from Saria’s bag a few hours into his journey. It had been filled with throwing stars and knives, all polished steel and stained black as night. They were lightweight, and though throwing them was a clumsy, new process to his inexperienced hands, he found them somehow more suited to him than the wicked blade of the forest.

His stomach cringed again, and he with it. “The first thing I am going to do,” he told Navi, “is eat. Something. I’ll eat deku nuts if it means a good meal.”

Navi hummed into his collar. “While you’re at it, get a change of clothes…you stink horribly.”

“Aw, shut up.”

The sun grew higher, hotter. His shoulder throbbed, an ambient rhythm to the heated bolero that was the day’s music. He wanted to wear anything but this dark green. Not only for the heat it drew in, but for the memory it held onto.  If only there were a new song for me to play. He thought. Somewhere in the blue pouch on the front of his belt, Saria’s ocarina was dormant, cool, coral pink porcelain against the dry parchment of scrolls and leather bindings of small books.

When Naruto finally set his feet on the drawbridge, he reveled in the drumbeat they made against the wood. He sped his pace, and looked in amazement at the guards standing inside the gates. They were twice his size and more, covered in plates of metal, silver like the moon and glistening like stars. They held lances nearly as tall as they were, looking from visored helms at him, hiding any expression or emotion in their faces.

He let his awe pass, listening to the hum of activity from the market. He could hear voices nearly as deep as the Deku Tree’s, shouting for people to buy, before it was all gone, voices higher than Saria’s squealing in delight. Barks, meowls, crows filled the square, and as he entered he felt he might drown in the sea of people.  

“Navi…” he breathed, “Look at this place! Kokiri Village was nothing like this…”

Navi huddled closer to his neck and huffed. “Well, I don’t like it! So noisy!”

“Well I like it!” he exclaimed, wending his way through the masses, barely aware of the jostling and the ache it was causing his wounded shoulder. He watched women shepherd children along, buying groceries and haggling over prices. Over and over, an exchange was made. Shoppers drew colored gems from their purses, handing them to the greasy palms of the vendors in exchange for whatever item they desired. It reminded him of the bartering the Kokiri had done, but the currency was constant. He realized he probably wouldn’t be eating unless he had some of the green and blue stones everyone seemed to be carrying with them.

The middle of the marketplace was dominated by a large, flowing fountain, coral blue and lavender, with a dancing woman pouring water from a clay pot. Children dropped the coins inside the water while their parents looked on with smiles on their faces.
There was no option, he decided. He peeled off his boots and waded in the water, fishing for coins. Adults gave him disapproving glares, mumbling dirty phrases about him under their breath, and he felt a sting at his chest, but he worked until his fist was full of blue coins.

The vendor that sold him the bread and milk didn’t at all seem to mind his bedraggled appearance or that his money was wet. He took three blue coins and sent him on his way, bidding him enjoy his meal.

He dug in with gusto, relishing the first meal he’d had in much too long a lapse of time. He allowed Navi to hover about, snatching away crumbs and dipping into the cap from his milk bottle. It was long minutes, and he was nearly done with his bread when he noticed the girl staring at him. She was cute, redheaded with deep brown eyes that reminded him of a rabbit. He gulped down another mouthful of his milk and gave her a pointed glare.

“What do you want, huh?” he snapped.

The little girl giggled lightly. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you, but…well, are you from the forest?”

Naruto coughed, spluttered, and all around lost his composure. The girl seemed excited, interested. “S-so what if I am?!” he questioned, gulping down the rest of his milk and stowing the empty bottle in his pouch, “Why’s that matter?”

The girl clasped her hands behind her back and poked at the cobblestones with her toe. “Just, well…that makes you a fairy boy, right? There’s even one with you…”

Naruto felt the sting of her words when he knew they weren’t meant to hurt. Fairy boy. Essentially, it was what ‘Kokiri’ meant; fey child. He wondered, for a moment, if he should just say yes and get her to stop bugging him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do what his ‘family’ had done to him. “No, I’m no fairy boy…” he muttered, “Just a…just…” Just a mutt. He thought to himself, but somehow he couldn’t release the words from his mind.

“Oh, so you’re just a Hylian, like me.” Said the girl, and she sat beside him on the edge of the fountain. “Your ears are kind of rounder though. Your face is weird, too!”

Naruto felt his cheeks and ears. Indeed, this girl’s ears were finely pointed and a good half inch longer than his own, and he was reminded with stunning clarity of the teasing he had gone through for the whisker marks on his cheeks. He frowned.

“It’s not a bad thing, though.” Defended Navi, fluttered about near the spikes of Naruto’s hair, “Naruto is fine the way he is.”

The girl perked up. “Oh, Naruto, is that your name? Mine is Malon. My daddy owns a ranch out on the plains. He’s at the castle delivering some milk. Actually, he should have been back a long time ago. I bet he fell asleep again.”

Naruto looked at Malon, curiosity boiling up. “Your ‘dad’ is at the castle?” he asked, gingerly touching the wound on his shoulder and realizing it didn’t hurt quite as much as it had before.

Malon bobbed her head. “Sure he is! We provide all of the castle’s milk. Lon lon milk is the best in the country!” she finished proudly.

Navi fluttered in front of his face excitedly. “Then, Malon, you know where the castle is?”

Malon nodded. “Of course! It’s north of town a mile or two.”

Naruto hopped off his seat and stared excitedly at the other end of the square. “Great! We’re almost there, then.”

Malon stood and looked with him, eyes full of questions that Naruto already knew he didn’t want –and probably shouldn’t- to answer. “You’re going to the castle, fairy boy?”

“Yeah. I have to…uh, run an errand there.”

“Hmm, well, I hope it’s really important.” Said Malon worriedly, “Someone tried to get into the castle…you know, without permission, recently, and now there are guards all over the place. My dad even had to show them papers to get in for his delivery, and they wouldn’t let me come along like I usually do.”

Naruto started off, pushing his way through the crowd with an aggression he forgot he could have. “Yeah, well,” he called over his shoulder, “It is really important! So they’d better  let me in…”

As the crowd swallowed him up again, Naruto heard Malon wish him good luck. Navi clung to his collar to keep the risk of separation low, and together, the two emerged from the crowd into a quiet alley. There weren’t any happy looking people back here. Rather, they all looked sullen like Brother Mido almost always had, or were eyeing him in ways he rather disliked. He hurried along, slipping his left hand into a pouch full of fang colored needles, fastened inconspicuously to his belt, holding one in the folds of his fingers, concealed from sunlight and keeping up the appearance of a harmless child.

Even a place like this has its dark corners, then. He thought to himself, remembering coldly the frigid depths of the Deku Tree’s body and the passages of the woods immediately before the Sacred Meadow, and the dank caves of his dreams. “Navi, don’t let anyone see you.” He whispered. His fairy ducked hastily into his magic pouch, certainly glad to avoid the hungry eyes of the lowlifes inhabiting this par t of the city.

Naruto counted it as good fortune when he pushed through a crack in a large wooden gate without being bothered. Ahead stretched some hilly grassland, speckled with brightly colored wildflowers and sparse woodland. But what most stood out to the young half-Hylian was what must have been the castle.

If the walls of the city had seemed big before, they were mice now, compared to the palace. Marble and alabaster were cut into blocks as tall and twice as wide as he was, stacked three, maybe four times as high as the walls in the lowest places, with round, tapering turrets and red roof tiles for the towers. A huge, flowing flag was posted at the checkpoint, silky, ivory white and dyed into its pure cloth was a shining gold phoenix, crested by an image of three triangles aligned to make a fourth, larger one. Awe was Naruto’s image as he approached.

There were even more guards here than there had been at the southern gates. They were patrolling the crags, the hills, the trees, the path, and standing vigilantly at the checkpoint. Naruto strode up, neglecting to think of his shabby appearance, and addressed the soldier nearest him.

“Hey, I need to go to the castle for an errand!” he said, allowing no room for manners or an afternoon greeting. This was important! He had to reach the palace as quickly as possible, and deliver the emerald like the Deku Tree had asked.

Unfortunately, he was only met by one of the guards pushing him away by the butt of their lance. “Listen, kid, we aren’t letting anyone through. If you aren’t a Gerudo emissary or a noble, you might as well traipse on right back to your mum, understand?”

Naruto pushed the shaft of the lance away, determined to get past the checkpoint as quickly as possible. “Stuff it, you old man! I have something important I need to do!”

The guards, this time, were the ones who took no time for manners. Naruto barely even realized he had been bodily thrown before he hit the ground around the bend and heard the guard’s clanking steps receding, back to the checkpoint, and a string of nasty swears.

His shoulder was throbbing madly again, and he felt the clot stretching, beginning to break. His wound might reopen if he wasn’t careful enough. He sat against the wall for a moment, gathering his wits and wondering what to do. “Navi,” he muttered, “See if you can find a way past the guards.”

Navi fluttered away. She was back after only a few moments, the speed of her wings and the fortune of the wind bringing her back to him quickly. “There are some thick vines growing along a cliff a little ways along the path, out of sight of the guards. You might be small enough to climb them, Naruto!”

The climb was hazardous, because the vines were not deeply rooted, but with a little care and a strong grip, he was able to pull himself up and onto the gray ledge that spanned several hundred yards, past the granite checkpoint and to a dead end wall of rock. He followed it for as long as it would take him. The guards took no notice of him, patrolling and expecting that any intruder would be their size or larger.
Navi guided him patiently, pointing out the patterns of the patrols and showing him the places to climb or duck or weave, and in less than an hour’s time, they had made their way around to the eastern end of the palace, where a small guardhouse and a horse cart were sitting. A fat, balding man was asleep in the driver’s station of the cart, crates full of bottles inside of it and set by the guardhouse entrance. Naruto ignored him, and looked across the stream surrounding the palace, where a hole in the wall was trickling water.

He was certain he could fit through that gap.

It only took pushing a crate into the right position for Naruto to make the jump. He had been right in thinking he might fit. It was tight, and restricting, but lowering himself to his belly and wriggling along, he made it the ten feet that the space extended and emerged in what seemed to be a courtyard. There were flowers here that he had not often seen in the forest or on the plains. Daffodils, water lilies and roses were growing everywhere. He could still hear the clanking footfalls of guards on patrol. That girl Malon had not been in the wrong, saying that the security had been harshly raised on castle grounds. Once again, he would have to rely on the wisdom that Navi possessed; wisdom he did not have.

A help in their progress was that hedges decorated the garden, six feet tall and higher, like a maze. They ducked behind them and tucked into corners, following guards with feather soft footsteps and stopping only when a stone colonnade became their shelter from sight.

“Naruto, look.” Whispered Navi, hovering away from his line of sight.

He looked on, and there ahead was a small courtyard, isolated from the rest of the garden, from the eyes of the guards. Flowers of all shape and colors were growing in the center, and a ring of fresh, running water surrounded the yard. Windows were on either side and on the far end, with a set of steps and on them, a child was gazing through the glass to the world inside.

Naruto stepped lightly forward, unconsciously drawn to the other child’s presence. As he drew near, with caution, he reached out a hand, shaking. “Are you…”

With a rustle of silks, the child turned, and Naruto felt he was lost in the wilderness. It was a girl, only his age, dressed in fine clothes with even finer, fairer hair than his own, and a beautiful face for one so young, but it was her eyes that drew his attention. They were deep, clear as amethyst and as dark. He could see more wisdom in them than any being should be able to fathom, and something within him stirred with fright. For some reason he was reminded of the monster Brother Mido said resided deep in him.

“…Who are you…?” asked the girl, and he was suddenly reminded that he was in the presence of another child.

“Er…well, I’m…Link? No, Naruto! Naruto is my name.” he sputtered, correcting himself just a little too late. The girl only smiled.

“How did you find this place? My father has the castle under tight guard. We have visitors from the west.”

Navi flew gently about Naruto’s head. He pointed to her. “My friend, Navi, helped me.” He offered.

The girl gasped. “Then you are…! Excuse me, but did you come from the forest?”

Naruto nodded, slowly. Might this girl be Princess? He tried to sound the name in his mind. Sister Saria had once said that Princess was a title given to an important person, so if this was her, then he wondered what made her so special.  She only clapped her hands and laughed when he responded. She seemed to be acting no different than any of the other children he had encountered.

“Wonderful! I knew you would come, I was sure of it! Father wouldn’t believe me…no one would, but here you are!”

Naruto stepped forward hastily, grabbing her shoulder in a rougher manner than he supposed he should be using with a girl, but he was not interested in whether or not she was happy to see him; was she Princess, or not? “Hey, calm down!” he snapped, “Really! Are you Princess?”

The girl gasped. “Oh, forgive me! I got carried away with myself and never even bothered to give you my name; I am indeed Princess Zelda, of the Kingdom of Hyrule, daughter of King Gustaf Hylius.”

Naruto nodded. “Then, I have something for you. Great Deku Tree asked me to bring it.”

The exchange was quick, and the emerald was quickly placed in Zelda’s waiting palms. She gazed at it for a long time, covered in the mist of deep thought. There were many emotions in her eyes. Sorrow, worry, joy, relief. “You really are him, then.” She whispered.

Naruto allowed himself the leisure of sitting on the steps and resting his weary body. “What are you talking about?” he asked, “Ever since I came, you’ve been saying you’re glad I’m here, but I don’t know why. I mean, I knew from the beginning, it was important to the Deku Tree that I take the Emerald somewhere safe, but…”

Zelda hefted her skirts and sat next to him. “Excuse me, Link…or Naruto. Which is it you would like me to call you?”

Naruto shrugged, feeling noncommittal. “’Princess’ means you’re important, right? Call me whatever you please.”

Zelda looked at him, seeming confused. He supposed she must be. “Then…Link. It’s a very gentle name…aside from that, you see….Of late there have been terrible visions in my mind as I sleep. A dark, poisoning cloud covers my father’s land, bringing death and decay, and sorrow everywhere it can touch. It grows so dark that I feel there will never be light again and my people will forget what warmth is. …But then, from the forest to the south there is a light. Strong, white, and piercing, it drives away the darkness, and the pain and brings peace once again to Hyrule. And in it, a mere shadow, I can see a boy, holding a glistening green jewel, with a young fey by his side. I know…I am sure that the Goddesses brought me this vision as a warning…someone is going to wrest Hyrule from my father’s hands…and I believe I know who.”

Naruto followed as Zelda rose and peered through the glass again. Standing in a great hall before guards and a man clad in rich blue, the same man from his own nightmares was, smiling in false gentility. He gasped, and slid under the window.

“I know him!” he hissed, “From my dream. And he cursed the Great Deku Tree! He…do you think he is…?”

Zelda slid to sit next to him once more. “I believe so. That man is the leader of the Gerudo tribe, Ganondorf Dragmire. But there are darker names for him floating about…Mandrag Ganon, for instance. It is a vile name, and it matches well with his spirit.  He is after something… a power left by the great goddesses…the Triforce. Link, do you know what the Triforce is?”

Naruto shook his head, glaring ahead. “I don’t, but I know the goddesses. Great Deku Tree told the children…and me…about them lots of times. Farore was courage, Din was power and Nayru was wisdom. They made Hyrule, didn’t they?”

Zelda nodded. “Yes. It is nice to know you have some knowledge. Nayru brought law, Din brought form and Farore brought life itself along. But, when the goddesses left after they had completed their work, they left behind fragments of their power. You can see the image of it –the Triforce- upon the royal standard, above the Phoenix’s head. Even one of the fragments alone –power, wisdom or courage- possesses unfathomable power. I believe Ganondorf is after these very things.”

Naruto thought for a moment. What would someone want with that? “Does he want to take over the world or something?” he scoffed, but Zelda’s solemn countenance silenced his skepticism.

“You mean he really does want to.” He breathed, “That man is insane!”

Zelda agreed wholeheartedly. “Indeed, he is…but there is only one way to reach the Sacred Realm where the Triforce is sleeping…and that is through the temple of time.”

“The Temple of Time?” chimed Navi, reminding them suddenly that she was there.

“Yes, a place near the market where the people go to worship. It is a grand cathedral. You said that Ganondorf took the life of the Kokiri people’s patriarch. That is because he was after the stone you have brought with you. It is one of three stones needed to open the Door to the Sacred Realm. The others are hidden in places that I do not know…but even with all the stones gathered, there still would be one final key…and that is kept safe by me.”

Naruto did not dare ask. He had no interest in this. He would gladly stop Ganondorf from achieving his goals, but just as quickly, he would prefer to  avoid coming into contact with the power of divine beings. Why should a mortal play god?  He felt his shoulder throb again, and he clutched at it in frustration.

Zelda touched him lightly. “Ah, you’re injured. It must have been a long journey from the southern border…”

“It will heal on its own.” Naruto said, but really he was unnerved by the warmth of her hands. This girl was so honest. He had heard nothing from her that he felt he should not believe, and her face betrayed everything she might wish him not to know. He liked it, more than perhaps he should have.

“Though, it is not bad.” Remarked Zelda, “But it should be treated. Before you leave, I’ll see to it you’ve been given a change of clothes and had your injuries treated properly. But I have to ask you…”

“Tell us what you need.” Said Naruto.

“…Ganondorf will not stop with only the forest, Link…no, he will continue without rest, destroying anything in his way. Link, I believe you may be the only one who can stop him…you brought me the emerald, and fulfilled your guardian’s wish.”

“He was never my guardian.” Hissed Naruto, feeling a sting in his gut stronger than before.

“…I am sorry…” amended Zelda, “But even so, you followed his wish beautifully and strove on even with your wounds, across a field dangerous in the day if you are alone and deadly at night even in a group. Your courage may be Hyrule’s final hope. I must beg you to retrieve the other stones. There are a sapphire, and a ruby, but I know only where the second resides; with the rock eating people of Death Mountain to the northeast.”

“…I’ll do it.” Said Naruto, “I don’t know why the Deku Tree chose me…maybe because it was someone else’s child he was condemning…but I feel like I can believe you, Princess. Navi and I…we’ll bring you the stones, don’t worry.”

Zelda smiled, and despite herself, she threw her arms around him and embraced him closely. “Link, thank you! Thank you so much! I knew…somehow I was sure I could believe in you.”

His face felt warmer than it normally would have, and it took him a moment to realize that he was flushed, pink as a carnation. He could hear Navi tittering to the side. “Oh, stuff it.” He mouthed to her.

Zelda released him quickly, realization dawning on her after her loss of self control. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, and her eyes flickered nervously across the garden. Naruto allowed his to follow hers, and for the first time, he realized that there was another there. It was a woman, tall as any man and probably better built, dressed in skin-tight clothes and light armor. He could see a stern look on her face, but felt deeply that she was someone he could trust.

“Who is that?” he ventured.

“That is my nursemaid,” replied Zelda, “Impa. She is from a dwindling tribe called the Sheikah. They have dedicated themselves to the art of battle, and protection of the royal family.”

Naruto felt suddenly edgy. He knew he was armed to the teeth.

“Don’t be afraid.” Said Zelda, “She’ll see to it you’re taken care of and out of the castle safely. Go on, go greet her!”

Naruto stumbled forward at her coaxing, looking back. He remembered the feeling of her hand on his shoulder and her head on his chest. “Well…I’ll see you, then.” He mumbled.

Impa towered nearly three times his height, he realized as he reached her, and somehow he was compelled to bow. He was surprised, however, when a dry chuckle escaped the woman’s mouth. He looked, and her eyes were kinder than he had first realized, despite their bloody crimson shade.

“There’s no need for that.” She said, “Come, follow me. We’ll get you some better clothing.”

Naruto was, then, struck with a thought. “I want something orange.” He spouted, unable to stop himself. Impa only smiled.

It was an hour later, with the sun far past the noon mark that Naruto stood by Impa’s side midway up the northeastern tower, gazing out a window. He could see the entire city, sprawled out like a child’s set of toys, below, and past were wicked spikes jutting upwards and clawing at the sky. Mountains, Impa called them.

“You see the one with smoke rising from its head?” she questioned. He nodded and pulled at the high collar of his new orange jerkin.

“That is where you will find Death Mountain, where the Goron Ruby rests. The gorons are a gentle race. I assume you will need only to show them proof of your connection with the young miss to receive their relic. The princess has written a letter explaining your situation. Here.”

Naruto accepted it. It was finer parchment than the rough, handmade things that the Kokiri tribe used. Bleached white and bordered in baby pink, the handwriting elegant and twisting. Naruto read poorly and could not have discerned the contents if he tried. He tucked it into his pouch and stared out the window again. Shadows covered the mountains and gave them even more a look of gnashing teeth. Somehow, the savagery of it made it all the more beautiful.

“We must protect this land of Hyrule…it is our beautiful home.” Muttered Impa.

Naruto looked at her. “Listen to this song,” she said, “It is the royal family’s own melody, and I often sang this for Zelda when she was a small child. It is a rite of passage into many secluded parts of the country. Do you have something to play this on?”

His fingers had already grasped the cool clay of the ocarina, and he lifted it to his lips. He reminded himself of the proper way to hold his fingers and poise his wrists. He regretted that it had been Saria who taught him to play, for her face continued to appear in his mind, and Brother Mido’s lilting, sharp ditty on a pan pipes rang in his ears.  But as Impa began to whistle through her fingers, he got caught up. It was a flowing, soothing melody. Soft like a breeze, cool like spring water and kind like the song of a bird. The song flowed on and took away the burning memories of the Kokiri, of Brother Mido and Sister Saria, and the stories of monsters that might weigh him down.