Part 6: Joshua King
Link and the Skull Kid ran through the maze of trees and vines and logs that had come to be known as the Lost Woods. At last, they came across a log fallen on a stump made to look like a teeter-totter. The Skull Kid disappeared, hoping Link was clever enough to figure out on his own their hiding place. This small clearing also beheld a few small rocks and a hollowed log leading back. Link looked around quickly, straining his ears for anything that might give away their positions. Link walked forward a few steps into the glade and fell down a pithole.
At the bottom of the pithole was a tunnel, and since Link was about thirty feet down, he decided it would be pointless to try anything else and followed the tunnel. He had arrived in what appeared to be an underground home. The two mischievious Stalchilds appeared with their blank, expressionless faces and sung,
“Cheater, cheater. You had help.
Cheater, cheater. You should yelp.
For now, we shall sting,
Just like your cheating.”They pulled out their pipes and were just about to load them when Link rushed forward, full of rage at all the rhyming. The Stalchilds ran around their home, knocking over everything to get out of Link’s path. After a few moments, the Stalchilds fled their home, leaving it a disaster.The swordsmith was unconscious, so Link carried him to the entrance of the tunnel. He looked through the swordsmith’s things and found a Hookshot. Link carefully aimed it and let it loose near the top.It’s grip was hard as iron in Link’s hands as he hoisted both himself and the swordsmith up the narrow, high, and steep pit. At the top, Link lay down to rest. He fell asleep, but when he’d awoken, he was at the entrance to the Lost Woods, on a cliff overlooking Kokiri Village. The swordsmith lay next to Link, still sleeping.Link said, “Swordsmith, wake up. It’s time you repaid me for rescuing you back there.”The swordsmith opened his eyes slightly and said, “This swordsmith has a name, you know.”Link said, “Well, I don’t know your name. Thus, unknown swordsmith who I rescued, make me a sword.”The swordsmith looked at Link squarely in the eyes and replied, “I am Balor, one of the greatest swordsmiths in Hyrule.”Link replied, “That’s because you’re one of the only swordsmiths in Hyrule.”The swordsmith looked at Link, snorted, got up, and started walking away. Link said, “Hey! I still need a sword and shield!”
The swordsmith replied, “Look at Mr. Selfish over here. I need this, I need that, sheesh, you’re worse than Zelda, who’s she think she is demanding two hundred swords from one man?”
Link chuckled and said, “She is the beautiful princess of Hyrule. She can boss around whoever she wants however she wants.”
The swordsmith looked at Link rather dopily and said, “Be that as it may be, she is still spoiled and selfish. Tell me three things she’s done that actually helped Hyrule.”
Link looked embarassed and blushed, unable to think of anything Zelda had done, other than defeating Ganondorf, that had helped Hyrule. The swordsmith looked at Link and chuckled a little saying, “You can’t, can you? Sure rebuilding and repopulating Hyrule Castle and Hyrule Castle Town was nice and all, but it didn’t help Kakariko Village at all. Instead, it hurt Kakariko because many of its residents moved back to that little community while the remaining people there were forced to rely on the lazy, oversized Gorons and the elegant, yet lazier Zoras for protection from monsters.”
Link frowned and put his head down, unsure of what he could do or say that would make the swordsmith change the subject. Thankfully he didn’t have to. The swordsmith changed it himself, “Well, this is clearly something you’re embarassed to speak of, so I’ll change it to something you should be able to relate to. What actions have the so-called “Great Fairies” or those “Red 8″ taken that’s helped Hyrule whatsoever? None, that’s all there is to it. The only people who’ve helped at all are those in it for selfish gain, well, at least those getting noticed. Properly equipped, even a one armed man could handle all eight of those fools in red. I’ll forge you a sword, but in return, you’ll have to protect me on my way back to Hyrule Castle Town.”
Link looked at the swordsmith crazily, then asked, “Why are you so engrossed with getting there?”
The swordsmith replied, “Why are you so engrossed with NOT going there?”
Link said, “Very well, I’ll protect you to the gates, but no further. Once there, I’m turning back.”
The swordsmith agreed and began to work on Link’s new sword.
