I stood up in the cart to see my surroundings. The cart that I was riding was in the centre of a small army made up of mainly Hylians. They all rode horses and all has swords at their belts. They also had either red, blue or green cloaks, each with a strange symbol on it. From my view, it looked like a golden triangle, but it seemed to have something in the center.

I squinted by eyes to try and make out the symbol, but the cart hit a bump and knocked me off balance. I fell, and lay there on the cart, on my back. I was in the same position that I awoke in, lying on my back on the rough surface of the cart. If only those warriors surrounding me would leave so I could make an escape. The only thing I wanted was to go back to my forest. Even if it was charred, and even if I would be attacked by Kokiri, I would be back home with my friends. Besides, I had survived all ten years of my life there with no trouble at all.

But how could I even imagine escape. I’m a Deku! Even if they decided that they don’t need me, they would kill me in an instant. I had no hope for survival now, unless I stayed with these strange people.

“I heard that you’ve already met Aeri, huh, Io?”

Great, it was Makur again. At least he wasn’t calling me a Deku warrior anymore.

“You seem awful quiet. Are you okay?” He asked.

Am I okay?! What did he think?! He just took me from my home and forced me to stay with him, what did this guy expect as a response?! Rage burned within my soul, threatening to take over. I held it back, but now I knew that I wasn’t welcome here. Never had I gained so much anger from a single man! I had to think fast, I had to escape.

One of the warriors ran up beside Makur and began speaking to him. Finally! My chance!

Without wasting time, I jumped off the cart and began running. I kept running, ignoring the cries from the various knights. If I stopped, I would be doomed. I soon saw that I was past all the warriors. Finally, I would be free! Now all I had to do was find out where Kokiri Forest was...

I screeched to a halt as a giant rock-like creature blocked my path. It had long arms with short legs, a short neck and rocks coming out of it’s back and a bit at the arms. It’s head was slightly pointed and it had a very short white beard. It’s skin was tainted was brown and looked quite hard, but I could still see quite a bit of hair. It’s eyes were nearly pure black, with a slight mix of a greenish-blue.

“Now, where do you think you’re going, little guy-goro?” it said as it lifted me from the ground.

Never had I been so terrified! Even Aeri was less frightening than this beast! Although, this creature had a less annoying personality than Aeri. I mentally laughed at my own joke, even though it wasn’t very funny.

Makur galloped up to the creature. He sighed when he saw me, almost as if he wanted to keep me here. Why would he even care? I didn’t belong here. He stared at me angrily, and I stared back.

“Sorry about that, Goru. It seems like my friend here must have fallen off the cart.” He said.

“No, it’s alright. I’m just happy I could help-goro.” It answered. This Goru seemed friendly, but I still couldn’t trust him.

“This is Io. We saved him from the forest yesterday while you were gone.”

The two began to follow their party again. Goru was still carrying me like a child, and it was getting very annoying.

“Reminds me of the first time Hykana came-goro, tried to run off back to Gerudo Valley. At least I was here this time-goro.” Goru said.

Gerudo Valley? Hykana? I had never heard such names. I would have asked more about those names, but I was taught as a young child to never interrupt an adult.

Makur let out a hearty laugh. “Yes, it wouldn’t be very good to have to chase him all the way to Kokiri Forest.” He said.

I sighed. It was obvious that they were going to keep me here for quite a while.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

Goru gave me a blank stare. “Makur-goro... You didn’t...?” He said.

“You’re right, I should have explained,” Makur answered quickly, “But he was out cold in a burning forest, I had no time. And when he awoke, I didn’t get a chance to tell him.”

Goru rolled his eyes. “Excuses, excuses. That’s all you have, isn’t it-goro?” The rock creature laughed, “Well, Io, it’s a pleasure to meet you-goro.” He extended his other rock-covered hand to shake with mine, and I uneasily accepted it.

“I... was just wondering,” I began, “Why do you say ‘goro’ all the time?”

“I’m guessing that you’ve never left the forest, huh-goro? I’m a Goron, and it’s a common accent for us to have-goro.” Goru answered kindly.

“...Oh.”

I still didn’t quite get it, but I didn’t want to annoy them. Goru seemed nice for a giant rock monster, even if he looked scary. Maybe he was only scary because I’ve never seen a Goron? Either way, he was a nice guy.

“Well, we’re still moving at the moment, so it’s best for me to explain after we’ve set up camp,” Makur said, “That way, you can meet the others first.”

“You’re making up excuses again-goro!” Goru stated.

Makur laughed, then trotted towards the front of the party. Goru dropped me onto the ground and smiled.

“You run along, now-goro. Don’t get yourself into any trouble.” He said.

I nodded, then began walking along with the group. At least everything would be explained soon, then maybe I could leave.

It was the afternoon, and the sun was low in the sky. The trees danced merrily with the wind, brushing their leaves together in the serene movement, and the moon began to appear in the distance.

I could hear that song again, the same melody that I had heard not to long ago. The trees seemed to dance to the song, and soon all of nature became part of that very dance. Even the shining sun’s rays seemed to form a piece of the dance.

I searched for the owner of the voice, hoping to find the young maiden who produced the beautiful call. It was difficult to even take a good look since I was so low to the ground and surrounded with others, but I soon found the cart that I awoke on. I gleefully climbed back on and scanned the area, until I had found the one I was looking for.

It amazed me at first to see such a person singing such a song, but then it seemed fitting. Aeri was happily flying with her bronze wings above the party, singing the arcane tune aloud for all to hear. A woman near her was watching her sing. The woman had long deep-red hair that was tied neatly into three long pony tails that reached her waist, each with a golden ring holding them up and a long golden tube around them. A shorter pony tail dressed in a similar fashion was in front of each ear as well. She wore puffy violet pants and a piece of clothing that was too small to call a shirt. Unlike most Hylians, she had round ears.

Maybe this person was Hykana? It seemed fitting since only me, Goru, Aeri and Makur weren’t dressed like the warriors, and so was this woman. Thus she must be Hykana, or someone I haven’t heard of yet.

I sighed as Aeri finished her song. It was so beautiful. Even the musical birds of the forest would turn down in shame.

The other woman was clapping now. She obviously liked the song too. She was just happily trotting along on her black mare, listening to Aeri’s song in such peace. If I wasn’t so shy, I would be right along side her, listening to the tune myself.

The cart suddenly slowed to a stop. As I looked to the up, I saw the blackened sky of night, a faded moon rising into the sky. The tainted sun fell towards the horizon like a bright orange egg falling from it’s cloud nest. An owl’s call alerted me of the coming of the late afternoon, and I sat on the hard wooden surface. I guess this proves that time really does fly. Maybe now I could plant a Deku Flower and get some sleep...

I turned to where Aeri was, only to find that everyone was headed for a small clearing in the forest. The cart began moving again, and I looked eagerly ahead. For once I had noticed the white horse pulling the cart, following with no rider to guide it. I looked back ahead to where we were going, to see a small campsite covered with large blue tents. They had a boxy shape and small openings, but it was clear that everyone was going inside them. Probably to rest for the night. I yawned lazily and jumped down to the ground.

It seemed that all the horses were being tied up to a fence now. The horse that had brought me here was following them, and soon another warrior was untying the cart from it’s body.

The man was wearing a red cloak with that symbol again, and I still couldn’t make it out! His hair was lightly coloured, and his eyes were shadowed by the trees. He had a good build, but I’ve seen better.

The man quickly ran into a tent nearby tent. It was much larger than the others, and coloured a soft violet. Not long after, Aeri, Goru and Hykana were lead in by Makur. I watched curiously as they disappeared into the cloth shelter, disappearing into a candle-lit room.

“Excuse me, Lord Io, but you are needed in the meeting area.” A voice said behind me.

I spun around to see who it was. The warrior who I had seen earlier was standing before me, crouching down to reach my height.

“You mean the purple tent?” I asked.

“Yes, that one.” He answered softly.

I could now see the man’s face more clearly, his crystal eyes staring into my rubies. As I looked to the symbol on his cloak, I saw that it was three golden triangles forming a larger one. As I stared at my tainted reflecting in the gold token, I felt captivated by it’s occult beauty. It was filled with purity and calm, yet ferocity and danger.

I nodded, then turned to the direction of the tent. I guess I wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.

Candlelight danced across the violet walls as I entered the dim room. I was used to seeing in the darkness, and my eerie red eyes proved so as they became filled with a deep red light. I could easily see that the others weren’t so lucky to have such eyes.

They were seated in chairs, but I sat on the grass. It wasn’t as soft as the grass in Kokiri Forest, but it was good enough. The room was quite bare, probably because it was just set up, and the only furniture was the chairs and a small table with a book on it. I squinted to read the title, ‘The Legend of the Triforce’. It sounded like an interesting story to hear. It had a blue ribbon in it, marking the reader’s spot in the book.

Beside me was Hykana, sitting uninterested in a chair with her head resting on the desk. On my other side was Aeri who was sitting in the grass like myself. Beside her was Goru, standing, since he would probably crush the chairs.

“Ah, Io... Now that everyone’s here, we can begin.” Makur announced.

“...Begin what?” I asked as I watched the candles flicker in the wind that escaped through the tent flap.

“Explaining.”

Goru mumbled something under his breath, and Makur gave him a cold stare. Goru became silent again, but I could see a narrow grin.

“I guess I should start with why you’re all here, since I’m sure that only Goru knows about this,” Makur began, “So I’ll start at the beginning.

“Only three or four years ago, a Gerudo named Gannondorf entered the castle and became quite close to the king. At first it seemed like an alliance, but not long after did he attack, killing most of Hyrule’s best knights. I was one of the few who survived. Afterwards, he somehow obtained a piece of the Triforce, taking control of the thron-”

“Can I ask a question?” I interrupted.

“Yes, what?” Makur answered in a somewhat annoyed tone.

“What’s the ‘Triforce’?”

“Well, the Triforce is the three sacred triangles that the goddesses left behind before leaving to the Golden Realm. It’s a powerful item that can either bring peace or war depending on who touches it. It is also said that if you do so, you can make any wish in the world and it will be granted. Any other questions?”

I would have asked where the Golden Realm was and who the goddesses were, but I didn’t want to be rude. When Makur saw that no one else had any questions, he continued.

“Anyways, Gannondorf took control of the throne and began spreading a plague of death and destruction across the land. As soon I saw this, I took what was left of the Hyrule Army and what little supplies we had to find a way to defeat Gannondorf.

“As it turned out, there was a way. There was a legend about some ‘Hero of Time’ sealing away a certain darkness into the dark world, so all we have to do is find the hero and get rid of our darkness, right?

“Well, actually, it’s a bit more complicated, which explains why all of you are here. The Hero’s duty is to fight the darkness until it’s too weak, then the six sages of the elements have to seal it away. Now, we’re traveling to find those six sages, or at least those who can help.

“Now, all of you seem to be near one of the temples: Goru lived it Goron City, directly below the Fire Temple in Death Mountain crater. Aeri travels the sky every migration, making her closest to the Light Temple in the Golden Realm. Io lived in Kokiri Forest, closest to the Forest Temple in the Lost Woods. And Hykana here lived in Gerudo Valley, closest to the Spirit Temple in the Desert of Illusions.

“Now, as you can see we have found four possible sages, and even if our guesses are wrong, surely the goddesses won’t make our battle pointless. If we cannot defeat our enemy, we will weaken him for the true hero.”

“So that’s why I’m here?” Hykana cried, standing up, “So I can destroy my own king?! I’m a Gerudo for Farore’s sake! Gannondorf is my ruler! Do you think I’m just going to try to kill him because he’s destroyed some threats to our civilization?!”

“You call the Kokiri, the peaceful forest children, a threat? Why would they even want to hurt anyone? Gannondorf, no matter what you think, is evil. There’s no doubt about it.” Makur stated.

“He’s not evil! Maybe unwise at times, but surely he is not of darkness?”

“I am sorry, but apparently he is.”

Hykana stared coldly at Makur, hate burning in her eyes.

“There’s nothing I can do, he is evil.” Makur said in response to her stare. She snorted in disgust, walking towards the tent’s exit. She pushed the flap out of the way in a harsh matter, then walked angrily out of sight. There was a moment of silence.

“...Well,” Makur said, “I guess we should all get some sleep.”

He then stood up and exited, followed by Goru and Aeri. I just stood there for a moment, still trying to understand what chaos I had been pulled into, then it sunk in. I understood why I was here, but I would never be able to leave now. Not until such a wild legend would be fulfilled.