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t was perhaps a matter of hours before the pirate ship had made its northward journey to the Forsaken Fortress, but by then the sun had set over the water-filled horizon. Even though night had embraced the sky, dark clouds, seeming to carry emotions of gloom and despair, consumed the light from the moon above. The only illumination was provided by grand beacons of light that were directed primarily out towards the waters surrounding the fort, yet a few pointed inwards, hoping to spot prisoners on the escape or intruders on their entry.

Tetra frowned at the tight security of the opposing pirates' fortress, knowing there was no way in that would escape detection. As Link came to join her at the ship's helm, she remained rather quiet in demeanor despite her carrying on a conversation to Link, with her telling him how foolhardy it would be to try to enter into the fortress. However, a sudden inspiration came to her mind, and before Link had discovered her true intentions, Link found himself within a thick, wooden barrel that was soon to be hoisted atop a catapult. Despite Link's protests, Tetra reassured him that this was reasonably similar to standard protocol for them and that Link would land safely on the inside.

The barrel was hoisted onto the catapult with the heftiest of Tetra's pirates at the lever. After a small countdown, the lever was pulled, and Link began soaring through the air as if he were a bird. However, the catapult had misfired, causing the barrel to rotate wildly as it sailed through the air. Link's hands gripped the edge of the wooden rim for dear life, trying his best to stay in the barrel despite the mad turns it was making. However, as Link began his descent into the watery moat below, one more wicked turn sent him for an unexpected jerk, and the sword that was held in the scabbard affixed to his back flew off and into the air once again, deviating from Link's downward trajectory as it landed high upon an outlook, sticking out from the tower of the fortress. Link closed his eyes as the waters below rushed up to greet him, waiting for the impact. As the barrel collided, the force of the water ramming into it split the barrel at the ribs, causing the wood to float away in every direction, taking the brunt of the impact away from Link inside. Link, on the other hand, was severely winded by it and managed to crawl ashore to the stone steps just out of the water, trying desperately to catch his breath and cough up the water that he had swallowed while underwater.

Once Link had regained his composure, he looked up to the tower, knowing that was the direction he needed to go. He reached around for his sword, only to discover it missing. Before he was given the moment to panic, however, Tetra, speaking to him telepathically from a stone she had given Link to wear about his neck, apologized for the misfire and motioned him to the upper reaches of the tower where his sword landed. Link sighed for a moment as he trudged up the stairs. Link took a gaze to the window where the seagulls his sister loved so dearly flocked, only to see one of the great beacons of light scan by the spot. Without an offensive weapon nor without a way to distract the monsters from the beacons, there would be no way of making through the fortress alive or unscathed and thus no chance of rescuing Aryll, but despite the initial negativity, this didn't serve to deter his courage and hope that maybe, just maybe, there would be a way.

Link ventured into the castle, timidly tiptoeing through the rooms. It was dark within with only oil-based lanterns hanging from the ceiling, along with one or two in the hands of the enemies within, to illuminate the fortress. Sticking to the shadows, he made his way upwards, keeping out of sight by sneaking through the halls quietly and occasionally hiding within barrels to hide him. The process of sneaking by enemies was onerous and time-consuming, but Link knew that it was the only safe route through the castle without his sword. Before ascending the tower, however, he knew that he had to do something about the beacons; were he to get caught trying to rescue Aryll, with or without his sword, the consequences could be dire. Without so much of a thought, Link climbed up to the perch where the beacons stood to find one of the fortress' minions standing guard there. Link couldn't attack him, but Link managed to use his shield arm to knock away the wooden club that his adversary was using. Running quickly, he obtained the fallen weapon and used it against his enemy, causing him to fall. With the beacons now inoperable, pointing to the sky, the passage to Aryll was safe.

Link kept the club he had obtained handy as he circled about the tower, creeping along. As he neared the entrance halfway up the tower to what seemed to be Aryll's cell, Link found himself sidling against the wall with only a narrow walkway separating Link and the ground far below. But success ran through Link's veins, and soon he found himself facing his sword upon the stone ground. Link dashed to gather his sword, but it was a trap, for sharp spikes rose up behind him as more enemies came to defeat him. With his sword in his hand, though, Link was able to make short work of them, and proceeded into the castle's tower, where, as suspected, he was finally reunited with Aryll, along with a few other girls that had also been kidnapped. Aryll and Link looked at each other with smiles upon their faces, but it wasn't long before the bird, known as the Helmaroc King, came to interrupt their reunion. The bird swooped down and landed upon the floor, snatching Link up with his beak and carrying him upwards and outwards from the tower, separating the two siblings once more. However, it seemed the bird was being commanded by someone, for the Helmaroc King took him to the pinnacle of the tower where a dark man stood. Link tried to look at him so as to find out his identity, but was unable to do so, not being able to get a decent glance from the bird's unstable hovering and the pain in his side from the sharp beak. The dark man made a gesture to the east, and the bird, nodding its understanding, flew off far from the Forbidden Isle, taking him many thousands of leagues away, dropping him pretentiously in the sea before flying back to his master.

Sometime during his flight over the sea, Link had lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself lying down within a crimson sailboat of wooden craft. As the boy awoke and stood up, he was only startled to find that the boat could talk through the helm shaped like a lion's head. The boat introduced himself as The King of Red Lions, a magical seafaring vessel with the ability to speak. It seemed that the boat had been expecting him through some supernatural means, waiting for a boy dressed in the veridian clothing of the heroes of old. The boat told him that the man atop the Forsaken Fortress was none other than Ganondorf, freshly released from his prison years ago. The boat asked Link if he truly wished to rescue his sister, and Link nodded in agreement. The King of Red Lions asked Link to obtain a sail from the nearby island -- Windfall Isle -- and perform any errands he needed to do there before heading off, but to be quick about it as their time was limited. Link left the boat and walked to the island, curious to meet the inhabitants in a different part of the world; however, Link did not tarry with his errands, for he sensed the boat's urgency. Link managed to obtain a sail along with a few other odds and ends before heading back to the ship.

Following the boat's guidance, not to mention the trade winds, Link sailed eastward towards a great cliff that was visible just on the edge of the horizon. The mountain peak jutted sharply out of the water, and above it sat what appeared to be a dragon as red as rubies, puffing smoke furiously into the air. Link wondered the meaning of this, never before having heard of such a beast. However, his thoughts did not have the chance to continue for long, for shortly, Dragon Roost Island was upon them. As Link disembarked the vessel, The King of Red Lions told Link that he was to search out an artifact known as the Din's Pearl, a gem that supposedly carried the power of the Spiritual Stone of Fire, now long lost. He also gave Link an artifact of great power, the Wind Waker. In days of yore it had been used to command the winds to do its possessor's bidding, but long since had those days come to pass. The boat made mention to Link that it was to be this way if indeed Link was to save Aryll, but the king-turned-boat failed to mention that this was also the promise that the goddesses themselves had given him, that by giving him this artifact, Hyrule might still yet be saved.

Link slowly ascended the jagged rocks of the mountain on the island and soon found him inside a cavern that functioned as an aerie for the Rito. The Rito were flocking around their chieftain in the center of the room as they noticed Link coming up to them. News of Link had traveled quickly among the Rito, being able to gather news from across the seas. Link inquired about Din's Pearl to the chieftain, but the chieftain was unable to accommodate his needs at the time, for the dragon Valoo, a spirit sent by Din to watch over the world, had been in a violent rage as of late, unapproachable by the Rito to gain scales for their children coming of age, a scale which allowed the Rito to grow wings and soar through the skies. The chieftain asked Link to go visit his son Komali and deliver a letter to him that was being held by Medli. Link agreed quickly and went in search of the female Rito, who shyly gave Link the note, but told him to meet her just outside the aerie after he finished talked to Komali. Link, however, wasn't able to cheer up Komali with neither the letter nor Link's courage, but he did notice that the boy was holding the Din's Pearl, but he appeared adamant to not give it up because it game him comfort in his time of struggle, being unable to gain a scale from Valoo. Link sighed and finally decided perhaps the Rito could calm down Valoo... or perhaps he could...

Walking outside the cave and towards a steep valley in the mountainside, Medli greeted Link with a bit of nervousness. It seemed that she had the same idea as Link, wanting to help Komali as much as possible. As a request, Medli asked from Link that he help her gain the extra height she needed to fly up the cliff towards the cavern where Valoo resided. Link agreed and picked her up and then gave her a push, giving her just what she needed to ascend the cliff. After doing so, Link stubbornly followed her across the dangerous path into Dragon Roost Cavern. The cavern was full of fire, molten magma oozing about at the lowest reaches of the cavern. Bats were plentiful here, along with monsters, most likely summoned by Ganondorf himself, Link realized; the monsters here had an uncanny resemblance to those he had seen at the Forsaken Fortress. Link continued to fight his way up to the pinnacle of the mountain, where he found Medli being held prisoner, but thankfully only a couple of monsters were keeping guard over her, and soon enough, Link found the key to Medli's cell. Medli, in thanks, gave Link a grappling hook which he would need to destroy a creature that was irritating the dragon spirit from below. Link then started to make his way back down the mountain to a cavern directly under Valoo to come across a giant arthropod by the name of Gohma.

The shell of the creature was thick and impenetrable, so Link quickly gave up trying to strike it with his sword. Link knew that he would have to be clever if he wished to destroy the beast, and so looking up, he happened to see that the tail of Valoo hung down through the ceiling of the cavern while a great rock surrounded it, tightly wrapped around the tail and most likely the source of the dragon's irritation. With a clever idea, Link swung his grappling hook towards the tail and latched on, beginning to swing across the room. As he neared the other side, he could feel the rock above slowly loosen with the now slackening tail, so Link took that as a sign to disengage the hook. As it did, the large boulder came smashing down atop Gohma, cracking his shell, soon enough exposing his soft interior. With his shell removed, Link decided to fight Gohma as a closer range with his sword, slashing away at the exposed skin. Gohma screamed in pain with each strike, and soon the arthropod was no more, shriveling in the magma as it quickly cooled into the solidifying rock.

As Link came back from the caverns, both Medli and Komali greeted him with excitement. The Rito prince's spirits had risen significantly, his courage finally found perhaps. Medli encouraged Komali to be brave and give Link the pearl of Din which Link had been looking for, and finally assenting, his father approving in the background, Komali gave him the precious artifact. Before they left Link, however, they suggested that he visit the Wind Shrine just beyond the island through a hollowed out section of rock. Link nodded to the two Rito as they went off to see Valoo, and there Link met one of the wind deities, Zephos. Zephos, realizing Link's situation, gave him instructions with the Wind Waker on how to conduct with it so that he might be able to use the winds to collect the two remaining pearls. Link thanked the wind god for his help and then ran back to The King of Red Lions, who suggested that they travel southward towards the Forest Haven, where they might find the second of the three pearls of the goddesses.

It was already nightfall by the time Link reached the Forest Haven, so far as it was to the south of Dragon Roost Island. As Link and The King of Red Lions neared the twin islands, one of which appearing to be a hollowed stump of a gigantic tree with the other tangled by barbs and vines, the king informed Link of Farore's spirit of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, would have Farore's Pearl. Link nodded his understanding and quickly took off for the interior of the island where the spirit resided. As Link approached the tree spirit inside, however, he soon found that the Great Deku Tree had become infested by monsters from Ganondorf. Link brandished his sword once again and swung at the taint of the tree, soon destroying the evil that had been sent. The Great Deku Tree then looked at Link and attempted to speak to him in the language of the olden heroes, but Link was unable to understand him. Saddened, yet not defeated, the Deku Tree somehow had hope in the boy, that perhaps he would be the one to stop Ganondorf. Knowing now that Link was not a threat, the Great Deku Tree called the forest inhabitants out to greet Link.

The creatures who lived there were Koroks, small beings seeming to be made out of wood with the faces of leaves. The Great Deku Tree told Link that these creatures used to be the Kokiri and in a human form. As the Lost Woods had been lost many years ago with the legendary flooding of Hyrule, the Kokiri no longer had the magical protection that had been infused into their blood and thus would be forced to age like the remainder of the Hyrulians. However, the Great Deku Tree decided that they should not be forced to lose their childish innocence and transformed them into Koroks, meaning "Forest Creatures" in the tongue of old. In this form, they would continue to have prolonged youth. Before the tree could give the Pearl to Link though, it was this day, the first new moon after the equinox, that their yearly ceremony was to be performed, where the Deku Tree would generate seeds to spread over the world. But it was at that moment when one of the Koroks came rushing in towards the forest spirit to inform them that Makar was missing, lost over the Forbidden Woods on the island's twin partner. The Great Deku Tree, in a worried state, pleaded with Link to use one of his magical leaves to fly over to the Forbidden Woods to rescue the poor Korok from the poisoned fauna, and Link assented, eager to help out. With help from the Koroks and the Great Deku Tree, Link sailed through the air with the winds at his back towards the ominous tower of thorns.

Link stepped into the hollowed out log to notice all the vegetation lying lazily about. It seemed this place had been tainted by Ganondorf as well, ooze dripping from the ceiling to form gelatinous creatures underneath his very feet. Sharp thorns and tendrils of the tree waved inside as if the very place were alive and sentient, trying to entrap or suffocate the hero into paranoia. Several times, the grove would catch him off his guard and walk him into a trap, green barbed thorns appearing out of the ground almost instantly, sending him falling to the ground. As numerous as the traps were the number of tricky puzzles of oddly placed poles, series of crystal switches, and hanging vines that could be easily cut with a wooden boomerang Link managed to find in the rear of the grove.

In due time, Link happened to find the missing Korok within the grove, and the Korok turned to him, scared yet somehow relieved to see someone here with him. The moment was short lived as the plant which was beneath Makar sprung to life and, with its pistil, swallowed him whole into the stomach of the creature, known as Kalle Demos. The petals then rose protectively about it and its stamens implanted itself into the ceiling, rising it up above the ground as tendrils tried to gut Link with barbed hooks at the end. Using the boomerang he managed to find, Link threw it upwards towards the stamens and sliced them, internal liquids spewing forth from the incisions. Circling around the plant, he continued to slice through the vines, but Link was amazed to see how quickly they were able to rejuvenate to full length, but Link was too fast for the plant, an soon, the last stamen was severed, plopping it to the ground and exposing the pistil. Link grabbed the sword from his back and sliced at the mouth of the plant, trying to make it regurgitate the Korok, but Kalle Demos surprised him and wrapped the petals of its form about Link, only to spit him across the room at the wall. The plant took the defensive position once more, but Link was onto its game. The second time Link brought the plant to the ground, Link was able to strike it much more effectively and snap the head of its pistil off, causing the plant to shrivel as Makar slowly climbed out of the creature from the hole that Link had sliced. Makar danced over to the swordsman and thanked him profusely for coming after him, and in a flourish the two of them were off back towards the Forest Haven.

As they returned, the Great Deku Tree breathed a sigh of relief. Once again reunited, the Koroks played and sang their ceremonial song together, brightening the entire vale with their voices. Soon enough, seeds started to bud at the crown of the tree lightly falling towards the ground. But many of the Koroks, as they continued the song, jumped up and, using leaf gliders, rose high into the air, each taking a seed under their arm, and flew off through the opening up high in the sky to spread forests throughout the world with the forest spirit's seeds. Finally, the Great Deku Tree gave Link the Farore's Pearl, but more importantly gave him information that his fate could very well be linked to the fate of the world and that he should be careful should Ganondorf try to reach him before his quest was through. The spirit dismissed Link, and the swordsman returned to The King of Red Lions, much disturbed by the goings-on with Ganondorf's creatures in the Forest Haven. He urged Link to travel to the northwest towards Greatfish Isle forthwith so that he could find the last spirit of the goddesses in time.

The trek this time across the ocean was much for dangerous; the seas were rougher with cyclones, great waves, and many enemies such as sharks inhabiting the waters en route to the island. However, the waters were treacherous for good reason, for as they arrived at Greatfish Isle, they saw it in shambles, a dark cloud hovering over the top of it from fires that had consumed it just earlier. Ganondorf's hand had struck down the island and the waters between the two, already trying to stop Link from his quest. As he approached land, one of the Rito flying overhead spotted him and called to him. Upon landing, the Rito told him the news about the attack upon the island and that Nayru's spirit Jabun, spirit of the water, had fled to Link's home island into a cave protected by a great stone slab. However, hoping that Tetra and her pirate gang knew the whereabouts of Link, the Rito had told this information to him as well, and unfortunately decided to arrive at the treasure himself. Link asked where the pirates were, and he was guided towards Windfall Island. With a further note, the Rito advised Link to not tarry in his leaving of the isle, that he felt as if an ominous curse had been placed upon it.

Link followed the Rito's advice to the letter and quickly departed the cursed island for Windfall, finding out that the Rito's information was indeed true that the pirates had landed there. However, they didn't seem to be aboard their ship, so Link started to scour the island for them. It appeared that there was something askew from the Bomb Shop as there was unnatural conversation coming from within, hushed whispers being cast about the room. Link was able to find a secret entrance to the shop from the second floor and then peered down below, where he saw Tetra and the pirates stealing the bombs from the storekeeper. Link continued watching as they carried the bombs out of the shop and to their ship, following along in the shadows in secret, waiting for them to disembark -- as they had been granted shore leave until the morning sun rose -- so that he could board it. Once they had left, Link himself sneaked onboard the ship and cleverly took a few bombs of the pirates' stash for his own by tricking the sole guard on board the vessel. However, through the stone he had been given a long time ago, Tetra managed to catch him as he tiptoed out, but as her crew was out for the night, she decided to give him a fair chance to find the treasure on his own, giving him until morning to return to Outset and claim it. Having the faster ship, she remained confident that she had a fair chance in obtaining it.

But Tetra had underestimated Link, for he had the Wind Waker and could control the winds to his advantage, and so Link sailed the distance between Windfall and Outset Isles very quickly, or at least seemingly quickly, for it seemed as if time itself had slowed to a halt in the meantime. Morning refused to come. It was because of that that both The King of Red Lions and Link felt reasonably safe to visit Link's hometown to check upon the denizens of his home. Many were surprised to see Link back, especially at that time of night. Link kept most of the details of his voyage secret, but mentioned that soon he would be able to go after Aryll and bring her back safely home. However, with concerned faces, they told Link that he should visit his grandmother who had turned ill. Link visited Nadima to find that she was having nightmares and delusions, unable to conquer them during her sleep. However, Link had managed to purchase some healing medicine on Windfall Isle, which he gave to her. Quite soon, she had awoke to find Link returned, but not yet Aryll. However, now she felt reasonably confident that all would be well seeing as how Link had survived his adventures to date, and she once again gave Link her blessing before he set off to find Jabun.

Link set off in his boat and found the cave in the back of the island that the Rito had pointed out. Using the cannon aboard the tiny ship, Link hurled the bombs he had taken from Tetra at the stone slab, breaking it open to reveal a hidden cave that was formerly only accessible from underwater. Inside he met a giant whale-like fish. The fish spoke in the same language of old that the Great Deku Tree and Valoo had spoken in, but while Link couldn't understand it, it seemed that the boat was able to speak it. There was conversation about him, and even though Link only heard one side of the conversation, it seemed that the boat was placing all of his faith in his mission in Link, which was a bit frightening, but at least it began to make some sense. After a few minutes, Jabun, Nayru's water spirit, seemed to be contented by the king's words and gave Nayru's Pearl to Link. It was then that time regained its composure, bringing about morning and breaking the curse that had been instilled upon Greatfish isle that had spread across the land. The King of Red Lions turned towards Link with a serious expression and said, "From here the peril can only increase. Now we must see whether or not the gods will accept you as the new Hero. If you have no more business on Outset Isle, we must go to the Triangle Islands and find the guideposts to the goddesses."

Link finished his business on Outset Isle, not knowing when he'd be able to return home. Sailing east-northeast, the ship had sailed to the first of the Triangle Island, aptly named because of their shape, within a few hours. Link disembarked the vessel and carefully set Din's Pearl within the arms of the statue there. A great beam of ruby light was raised up towards the sky, pointing reverently to the heavens. The other two islands were to the north and east-northeast of the first island, and Link found a replica of the statue upon each, placing the remaining pearls within their arms, shining sapphire and emerald beams of light as well. However, then the beams of light soon turned to one another, creating a large triangle it seemed over the water. From within its center, a great structure rose up with alabaster walls with a grand tower at one end and a circular ring of arches leading into structure's center. It was so great that Link could see it from where he stood on the easternmost of the Triangle Islands, awestricken by the site. After the light faded, leaving the massive structure in place, Link embarked upon the boat once again and headed for, what the king called, the Tower of the Gods.

The lower floor of the Tower of the Gods was flooded with a rising and falling tide as Link sailed in upon The King of Red Lions. Link soon found out that this task would be far different than any of the other challenges which he had faced to date. The temple seemed to be technically more advanced than anything he had seen, containing illusionary bridges, statues that activated weight-depressed tiles, moving platforms, hot beams of light, and animated statues. The tower truly was aptly named in Link's mind, for it seemed as if the goddesses had created this place as a test for him, a final obstacle that he would have to overcome, and Link wasn't by any means far from the truth. Link found himself backtracking multiple times trying to understand the puzzles set before him, many of which required him to take control over a statue and move it to a switch in another room. Link found himself constantly adapting to the new environment, fighting his way up the tower, finally entering a teleporter to take him to the tower's pinnacle where a single staircase separated him from the final challenge of the tower.

That challenge would take the form of a mechanized robot called Gohdan consisting of two hands and a head that functioned as though they were connected. Gohdan greeted Link and informed him that this would be the challenge before the goddesses accepted him as a hero. Link noticed small eyes upon each of the hands, and using a bow, he fired arrows into them, causing them to be blinded momentarily. It was then the eyes of the head opened in a mechanical way, and Link again shot arrows into them, although several were wasted from the oddly angled shots he was forced to take. However, now completely blinded, Godhan dropped to the stone floor, its mouth agape. Using one of his bombs, Link threw one in, blowing away pieces of the internals of the godly design. The battle continued to rage on with the hands trying to sweep Link to an electrified floor beneath the platform as well as the head sending streams of liquid fire at Link as well, but Link had been quick to find the weakness of the robot having learned from the statues of the dungeon itself, and soon enough, the robot yielded, allowing Link to proceed onward, ready to gain the goddess' approval.

Link climbed to the pinnacle of the tower and rang the bell upon the steeple, and far below him a portal, glowing as yellow as the sun, appeared. Link soon hurried down the tower back to The King of Red Lions as they drifted over towards the yellow glow. The king issued a forewarning to Link, telling him that what he was about to experience would be a trying experience and perhaps a bit shocking. Link nodded understanding and sailed into the ring, and slowly the boat began descending beneath the waves. Panicked at first, Link held his breath, afraid of sucking the water surrounding him into his lungs, but Link soon found out that he was able to breathe it as if it were air surrounding him. Slowly they broke through the water and re-entered air, and then Link saw what the boat was referring to. Link found himself looking into a world that was perfectly still without movement, frozen in time without color, and absolutely silent without sound. All that could move was Link and The King of Red Lions. It was Hyrule, but Link was unaware of this.

The boat advised Link to retrieve an artifact from the basement of the castle before them. Obeying his orders, Link, unsure of himself, found his way into Hyrule Castle from the gardens in the back, but was even further shocked at the site there. Enemies littered the grand hall of the castle, but just like the banners atop the castle and the air around him, they too were trapped in the flow of time, literally frozen amongst the broken pillars and banisters of the staircases. It was a surreal sight to behold, almost spooky in a sense. Link walked softly through the hall, as if the enemies there could actually hear him despite their paralysis, as if they would come alive at any moment. Creating a symbol of the Triforce in the center of the hall with stone blocks, slowly a statue slid open, revealing the hidden basement beneath the hall. Link descended into a room, still devoid of color, with stained glass depicting images of the Triforce and the Six Sages of legend. Upon crossing it, Link beheld a stone dais upon which a sword was placed. Being encouraged by the king waiting outside, Link stood next to the blade and placed his hands upon it, pulling lightly at first and then with some effort, and soon it slid perfectly out of the stone beneath it, gleaming brightly as it surged into the world of color with Link. Link, nay, the Hero held up the blade with pride and audacity. The tide of the fates would be turned with this sword, the Sword of Evil's Bane...

The Master Sword had been reawakened.