The Legend of Zelda

Chapter IV

As Kaepora Gaebora finally stopped his flight, Link followed behind, catching his breath frantically. “Why are you flying so fast? Slow down, will you!” he shouted.

“Don’t worry, Link,” replied the owl, “we’ve nowhere else to go.” He gestured with his wings, indicating the large gnarled tree on which he was perched. “This, Link, is the hiding place of the first piece of the Triforce of Wisdom.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, Mister Owl, but I can’t see anything special about this tree, other than the fact that it looks especially creepy.”

The tree indeed was an eerie sight. Its twisted branches were in want of foliage, its gnarled roots jutting up from the shallow soil. Its bark was dry and was peeling, and two large knot holes in the wood gave it the appearance of a fearsome wood demon, leering at Link and the owl.

“Steady, steady, Link,” urged the owl, “for only those without discriminating eyes peer at this tree and see only a tree.” Kaepora Gaebora then glided down from the branches and into one of the eyelike knot holes, the darkness rendering all but his round yellow eyes indiscernible from the bark of the tree. “Look below these two holes. See how the bark just below them is slightly off-color.”

Link squinted as he examined the bark, making note of every detail and line of the wood’s patterns. “I don’t see anything,” he announced finally.

“Ignoramus! The bark of the tree is dark brown, but the bark just below these holes is very light beige. Just reach out and push against the bark, boy!”

Link did so, attempting to ignore the owl’s annoyed remarks. He gently tapped the beige bark, but nothing happened. He finally placed both hands upon the center of the beige panel and pushed with all of his might, forcing his entire weight against the tree. Slowly, the panel of wood shifted inward, swinging open to reveal a wide, dark stairwell. Roots twisted over the walls, encroaching upon the stone steps deep into the earth. Water dripped from the roots, giving sound to an otherwise mute cavern.

“Deep inside these tunnels is the first shard of the Triforce of Wisdom,” instructed Kaepora Gaebora, “but you must heed my warnings. Queen Zelda wanted to ensure the safety of the Triforce, and so placed them in the most perilous locations in Hyrule. This is the infamous lair of the dragon Aquamentus, the once scourge of the countryside. Presently, however, he sleeps within. Make sure not to wake the beast, for doing so will incur his wrath. Make haste. We shall meet again.” The owl then beat his wings forcefully and soared into the distance.

Tentatively, Link stepped into the cavern, his footsteps echoing throughout the cavern. Link made his way down the stone stairway, with his hands upon the soft dirt walls for support. When he reached the bottom of the stairwell, Link found a long hallway dimly lit by flickering torches, casting funereal shadows over the corridor. A set of immense wooden doors was at the end of the hall, firmly bolted shut with a huge iron padlock. The only other doorway was to Link’s right, a stone threshold crowned by fearsome gargoyles.

With no other route, Link headed through the stone doorway, his steps muted by the dark dirt floor. As soon as he entered, the doorway slammed shut. Link was trapped inside the chamber by an iron portcullis!

“Well, that just made my day,” he said facetiously, glancing around his dark prison. The room was nondescript, only large brown roots jutted through the walls. Link’s stomach leaped into his throat when he saw a bent and broken skeleton lying near his feet, sword and shield still in hand. Was he to be like this doomed adventurer?

Link rushed back to the portcullis, attempting to lift it away from the door, straining his arms and back, but to no avail. Link shivered again when he heard a low moan, and a rattling sound behind him. He turned, and his hair stood on end.

The skeleton had arisen, and wielded his shield and sword menacingly. It laughed, its skull bobbing left and right, its eye sockets beginning to glow green. It lunged at Link, but Link sidestepped its move and nervously drew his own sword, slicing at the skeleton’s unguarded back. It howled in pain, and parried a second blow with its shield. The skeleton thrust its sword at Link, grazing his side and causing him to falter.

It leaped upon him, slicing violently with its blade. Quickly, Link placed three successive blows to the skeleton’s neck and severed its skull. The monster reeled in pain and stumbled backward. It was not finished, however. The now headless monster charged, its shield ahead, and leaped over Link’s strikes. Link flailed his sword wildly; each time the skeleton jumped away and deftly struck him a blow. Finally, while the skeleton was unguarded, he thrust his sword into the creature’s ribcage, causing it to collapse into a heap of bones once more.

Inexplicably, a large golden key appeared in a flash of light above the skeleton. Link examined it. Upon the key was written:

IF THE KEY YOU NOW HOLD,
THE STALFOS YOU HAVE SLAIN, O HERO BOLD.
FROM ITS BONES THE KEY YOU TAKE
AND HOPE THE HORNED DRAGON NOT AWAKE.

Slowly, the portcullis raised itself with a creaking screech. Relief flowed over Link as he took the key and the Stalfos’ shield. “I can’t go against a fire-breathing dragon without a little protection,” he advised himself. As Link left the chamber, he walked down the corridor and inserted the key into the large padlock. The key turned, and the lock came loose, falling off the door and onto the dirt floor of the dungeon. Link pushed open the doors and entered a voluminous room.

The ceiling was high and arched, and great stone pillars came down to the floor. At the center of the room was an immense green dragon. Its head was scaled and spiny, its wings large and membranous. It wrapped its long reptilian tail about its slumbering body for warmth, with its serpentine neck resting on its muscular forelegs. Between its closed eyes was a long, white horn. The beast shifted the room as it breathed, its presence filling the room with fear.

“So this is the mighty Aquamentus,” Link said to himself, “the mighty scourge of the countryside. It’s no danger to me asleep.”

Link glanced around the room, and finally noticed the Triforce shard hovering above Aquamentus’ sleeping form. The golden triangle shone so brightly it was difficult to see how the dragon could sleep.

“I don’t see how I can get up to it, save for climbing the dragon itself. Bit then again, that sounds like a good idea.”

Link clambering up to Aquamentus’ tail and carefully made his way up to the creature’s spiny back. The Triforce piece shone just above his head, but as he was about to reach out and take hold of the shard, Aquamentus’ eyes opened.

The dragon turned its long neck around and leered at Link with fearsome red eyes. It opened its toothed mouth and let loose a plume of yellow fire, causing Link to leap from the beast’s back. The dragon reared up on its hind legs and roared: a reverberating bellow that shook the dungeon’s walls. It crashed its forelegs into the ground and belched fire once more, straight at Link.

Link raised his shield and parried the fumes, duly striking the dragon’s forepaw with his blade. Yet Aquamentus made no sign of hurt, nor or pain. It roared once more and snapped at Link with its salivating jaws. Aquamentus beat its wings and rose off the ground, lowering its scaly head and ivory horn. It dove at Link, who evaded the charge by only a hair’s breadth. Link heaved his sword and sliced the horn. Aquamentus screeched and flailed, throwing fire from its throat and blackening the walls.

“The horn!” Link exclaimed brilliantly, “That’s the weak spot!”

The beast lowered its head again and snapped, but Link bashed it between the eyes with his shield and struck its horn once more. Aquamentus raged, but did not flail. Instead, it grasped Link with its right forepaw and constricted him. The dragon stood again, bringing Link closer to its face as it inhaled to unleash another breath of fire.

Link was losing strength in Aquamentus’ grip, as he weakly reached for the boomerang in his belt. He seized the projectile and hurled it at the ivory spike, severing it from the monster’s skull. It circled the room and returned to Link’s hands as Aquamentus crashed into the dungeon floor, its lifeblood seeping copiously from its wound. The dragon screeched once more, and then it was no more.

The Triforce shard lowered itself from the ceiling into Link’s hands. As he touched the piece, he lifted it over his head, and its luminescence spread over the room. A divine power flowed through him, and all became white and gold. A sound like and enormous wind whooshed through his ears, and he found himself outside of the tree, clutching the first treasure of his adventure.

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