Chapter 3

     

He heard a noise, and he woke up.

Melsin looked around the empty room, then got up out of bed. He walked over to the window and looked outside. The night was quiet, and nothing was stirring outside. Perplexed, he sat back down on the bed.

"Melsin Narcwar?" a high-toned voice called from behind him.

He spun around, and his eyes widened.

Floating there, right above his bed, was what appeared to be a floating light. Looking closer, he could see a tiny women with wings coming out of her back.

"Wh, wh, what are you?"

"I'm a fairy, Melsin."

"But, fairies don't actually exist!"

"You're seeing one aren't you?"

"But...what are you doing here?"

"You are in grave danger, Melsin. Quick, you must come with me. We don't have much time."

"What are you talking about?"

"A tribe of moblins has surrounded this area. They are preparing to attack, and it is you they're after."

"Moblins? What? But why?"

"Because they are under Ganon's control."

"Ganon? But the centennial hasn't happened yet!"

"True, but although Ganon cannot yet escape the Sacred Realm, he now has enough power to control the monsters of this realm. And he wants you dead."

"But why-"

"No time to explain, we must-"

All of a sudden, the room rumbled, and Melsin fell to the floor. His quiver of arrows lying on top of his drawer fell to the floor.

"Oh no, Melsin, they're here! You must get out of the house NOW!!"

"But-"

"No time to argue, just jump out of the window!"

Before Melsin knew what was happening, he ran toward the window and opened it. As he was climbing out, a red streak flew past him and hit the side of the house. The entire wall shook and he lost his grip on the windowsill. He saw the ground move up toward him and the breath was knocked out of him as he hit the dirt.

Despite the ringing in his ears, he could hear faint cries of "run, Melsin, run" coming from that high-pitched voice. So he picked himself up and ran for the forested area beyond the stable. His vision was blurred, but he thought he could make out moving figures to the sides. Just as he reached the trees, a blinding red explosion detonated behind him, and he crumpled to the mossy ground.

He got up and cleared his head. "What in the name of Hyrule is going on?"

The fairy appeared from behind him. "The moblins are attacking your house with Fire Arrows! Quick, we must leave here!"

"But.... my family!"

Suddenly realizing this, he started to move toward the house.

"Melsin, no!" the fairy cried. "You can't save them! Your house is already up in flames!"

"No....NO," he said, realizing the enormity of the situation. "This...this can't be happening!!"

"DUCK!" the fairy screamed.

Melsin jumped to the side just as a red streak landed in the area where he had just been standing. The explosion hurtled him through the air until he landed on his side ten feet away.

"Run, Melsin, run!" the fairy was yelling.

Melsin got up and sprinted deep into the woods. He and Urin had explored these woods often, but now they looked unfamiliar and foreboding.

After running for several minutes, he saw a small cave. He remembered that cave from his old hide-and-seek games as a child. Comforted slightly to find completely familiar territory, he dove into the cave and sat there, gasping for breath.

The fairy came into the cave right after him. "Don't rest for too long," she said. "We must-"

Suddenly he heard a noise, and he flattened himself against the cave wall. Several men wearing armor and carrying swords and shields ran past them. He could make out their voices:

"-at least sixty or seventy of 'em-"

"-they've overrun the whole woods-"

"-the windmill is in ruins-"

"-don't know where they came from-"

"-seem to have some kind of explosive weapons-"

Melsin finally caught his breath, and said, "I've got to warn Urin!"

"No use, Melsin. The moblins assaulted the whole Grendem Woods area because Ganon wants to make sure that you're dead."

"But WHY? Why me? Why is this-"

"Quick, Melsin, we must go!"

As he was starting to get up, he saw a bright red flash coming from the area the soldiers had been running to. There were a few screams, then dead silence.

The fairy looked at Melsin grimly. "If we don't keep moving, they'll be over here soon."

Melsin started running again, oblivious of the direction he was going. As the mossy trees flew by him, he could hear explosions in the distance, but he could see nothing through the dense fog of the heart of the woods.

He didn't know how long he ran, but some time later he stopped, caught his breath, and looked around. There was an almost complete silence, broken only by the hooting of an owl in the distance. There were no more explosions to light up the landscape, so he could only see a few feet in front of him.

He turned to the fairy. "Where are we?"

"We're near the very western edge of Grendem Woods. I think it's only a few more miles to the edge of the forest."

"What time is it?"

"It's about three o'clock. Only a few more hours till dawn."

Melsin sat down. He simply couldn't believe what had just happened. His parents and sister could be a pain sometimes, but he had loved them. And Urin... He buried his face in his hands, trying not to cry.

The fairy floated up in front of his face and said, "Melsin, I know that you lost a lot today, and I'm sorry, but we must-"

Melsin looked up stonily and said, "Okay, that's it. I've had enough with your secrets. I've just lost everything I've ever known, and I think it's high time you gave me some straight answers."

"That is understandable."

"Okay, question one: who are you?"

"My name is Halie, and I'm your guardian fairy."

"Guardian fairy? What?"

"Well, we fairies had sensed something special in you from the moment you were born, and the Queen Fairy assigned me to watch you."

"You mean...you've been watching me... my whole life?"

"Well, not all the time, but mostly, yes."

"I can't believe this."

"Well, believe it. I knew when I saw those moblins watching you yesterday that they were about to strike."

"So that was the noises I heard."

"Yes. But of course moblins are very stupid creatures, and could not really differentiate you from most other humans. So Ganon wanted the whole area destroyed to be sure. He couldn't directly control the moblins because for now he's still imprisoned in the Sacred Realm. But he could exert his influence on his minions here in Hyrule."

"But where did these creatures come from?"

"They were always here, hidden in the forest. But they were lying dormant until Ganon's power became strong enough to awaken them."

She paused. "What he can do from the Sacred Realm is relatively limited so he will not be able to find us if we move quickly, at least not yet. I will try to help you avoid his minions, because it is important for the future of Hyrule that you are not killed by Ganon."

"Which brings us to my second question: what does Ganon want with me?"

Halie paused, then said," You, Melsin Narcwar, are Link reborn."

Back to Story Menu