Neighboring Lands

Surprisingly Soft Landing

As I come crashing down to earth once more, my fall is cushioned by something firm, soft but warm; fabric covering it, the object under me shifts as if it is breathing in deeply. Before my sight and hearing could come back to me, I'm thrown off the object and then tossed over a firm shoulder; jostled around as the person under me runs. As the world returns to me I see a rotting corpse shuffling about before me, their empty eye sockets behind a worn wooden mask staring into my very soul as the being beneath me rushes from the decrepit square; a castle town laid in ruin as the clouds over it radiated some type of red aura. I watched with wide eyes as we passed by crumbling buildings, the heavy stench of rotting flesh, soot, and wood rot invading my lungs subsiding slightly as we crossed a crumpled drawbridge. Water splashes about us as the mysterious stranger heaves us onto a small bobble sone ledge covered in weeds and moss. A hand carefully sprawls itself across my upper back, as the arm around the back of my knees loosens some; with a short lean forward I am dropped into a steady hold that sets me down into a sitting position on the short railing that lines the small ledge. A new Link looks at me worriedly, his hands moving my limbs to see if I have any injuries, his wide blue eyes taking in my figure and haphazardly mended clothing.

"Are you okay?" His voice is slightly boyish, yet holds a sort of authoritativeness, "...Did you fall from the sky?"

I nod as I lean back from him to give us some space, the close proximity setting my nerves on edge. "Uh, yes. My name is (Y/N)."

His eyes widened as a smile spread across his face, "The Sheikah I met at the Temple of Time mentioned your name. You're the Reincarnation of a Goddess right? You're here to help us, to help me save Hyrule!"

I grin at him, "Yup! That's me. It seems you've been informed about me, good. That saves us time with the whole explanation. You're Link right?"

"That's me," his smile seems to grow, "so the stories are true, you really do fall from the sky. I just never expected you to fall right on top of me. It was a bit of a lucky break, one of those Redeads petrified me. You sort of knocked me out of it."

Laughing I push him back some so I can stand, "That's good, I'm already doing my job then...hey I have a favor to ask of you. When you pass on the legend of what we did, could you not mention the falling out of the sky thing?"

Link looks at me confused, "Why?"

"It's just that...I can't control where I fall and...it would just make it less awkward for me, I mean my incarnations." 'And it would be hilarious for the other Links to have no idea.'

Link agrees and we set off on our quest. "Where are we off to first?"

"The forest temple. It's located in the lost woods, where I grew up actually."

My eyes widen as I look at him, "You lived in the lost woods? I thought little tree people lived in them."

Link laughs as he shakes his head, "No, not all of the residents are wooden people. The Kokiri live there with...they used to live there with the Great Duke Tree...We need to hurry and make sure they're safe; after his passing seven years ago, the barrier must have weakened." I follow after Link, a gloomy look setting in on his features; his mind must be racing with what has happened in his home. Rushing through Hyrule fields and taking in the sights; Death mountain, a village at the foothill, a ranch off in the distance. To our left is a river with a pathway leading off in another direction, yet we pass it up. It takes us a few hours to make it there, taking a short rest so we can keep moving. We approach the large log that serves as the inference to the lost woods, his hand grabbing hold of the tattered sleeve of my Tunic. "Stay close, the forest might try to separate us. You may be a Goddess' reincarnation, but that does not mean the magic here has accepted you as a non-threat. Nor does it mean that it will trust that you are here to help."