The Legend of Zelda: The Hallucination
By hotpinkieMore Info / Reviews
Chapter 4: Part Three: The Castle in the Sky
Tommunock
Part Three:
The Castle in the Sky
When his eyelids rose, what he saw was no more of a difference than when his eyes were shut. It was a strange land of darkness, and the only noises that could be heard where that of the crows chirping and the people mourning. It was also quite chilly out, with a bitter breeze of the winds. The time was unknown. His absolute location was indefinite. The sounds of wails and howls sent shivers down his spine. Could this be it? Had he arrived safely?
Of course… What Link saw was the environment of the land of Tommunock.
Link rose from the ground and looked ubiquitously at what was around him. Tiny, tiny houses surrounded the area, built from the dirtiest and most revolting wood he had ever seen. Old trees without leaves where amongst the homes, and the grass was as black as the sky itself. It was a land of dread, a place of sorrow. This was indeed the Divine Dimension called Tommunock.
And here he was, alone. He would have to face all the dangers and obstacles by himself. Link knew that this wasn’t going to be easy, and that he wouldn’t be able to rescue the princess right away. Undeniably, this journey would take much time and effort on his behalf.
Also, Link had no idea of where and what he was to go and do first. All Impa had told him was to find the Land of Dreams and get into the Nightmare World. She didn’t give him any basic instructions or step-by-step outline of what he was supposed to do to get to his destination. All the mad woman had told him was to ask around. What a brilliant idea, Link thought sarcastically, Just go and make an idiot of myself to strangers. Impa needs to get a life.
Though, even now there was no time for jokes or biting wit. Link had a princess to save, didn’t he? What was he waiting for? He took a moment to stretch after his long thought. Then, he checked his attire and weapons. Everything supposedly still seemed to be with him. Hopefully they would stay with him as well. Also, he didn’t have Epona alongside him either, which was a major minus there. Link would have to walk and run everywhere; another minus.
Of course, he had to start off somehow. Besides, the specific area he was in was starting to give him the creeps. There were all these strange looking animals flying around the place, none of which he has ever seen; and strange noises were heard from all over. And these noises, too, were definitely unfamiliar. Link scrambled to his feet and started to head towards one of the nearby houses of the land.
As he walked, he couldn’t help but get the feeling that someone (or, in this case, something) was following him. At first, Link only looked behind himself, and with seeing nothing there he began to go again, merely shrugging the suspicion off. However, he began to feel stranger and stranger as he continued to venture.
Thump. Thump. Thump thump.
Instantly, he turned around with his heart beating rapidly, but there was no one there. Link began to ease, thinking that it was probably his imagination. But he couldn’t help but feel wary as he started to saunter once more.
Thump. Stomp stomp, thump…
Link stopped. Silence.
THUMP!!!
With a leap, Link turned and what he saw caused him to jump a few feet back with, completely startled. From a few yards away, the fuzzy creature glared at him, its whole body covered with purple hairs and black fur. Its legs were short, and its eyes seemed to bulge out of its [sort of] head. Link’s eyes were now as wide as they had ever been as he could only look at the brute, not finding it in him to move the slightest bit.
It wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before. The being looked at him with curiosity, as if it were more inquisitive than sinister. It started to head towards him, and Link slowly pulled out his sword in defense. Seeing the sharp blade, the creature stopped with a squeak.
“EEK! Don’t hurt me, please!”
Link raised an eyebrow as he heard it speak with its strident and shrill voice. Suspecting its innocence, Link deposited his sword back on his back and moved towards the strange brute. As Link walked closer to it, it took a few steps back.
“Who are you?” Link called out, “…Actually, what are you?”
The little purple and black man gulped. “I’m…I’m a…um…”
Link rolled his eyes as he waited for it to answer.
“I’m…a Twiddledink Tomican.”
“Twiddledink?” Link repeated, “I don’t understand.” The little Tomican decided to come up to his face and take a whiff of him. Link found it to be rather weird and awkward, the little thing smelling him like that. It pulled away from his body and smiled in a silly manner.
“Mmm…” it commented, “…you smell nice. Your scent is different from us Tomicans. You smell like beautiful, wonderful things! Like flowers and lakes and other stuff we never get to experience here in Tommunock.”
“You mean, there aren’t any flowers or lakes here?” Link asked, quite surprised, and the Twiddledink shook its head. “Oh, no,” it answered, “No flowers; just the flaky old stems that grow on the black grasses. No lakes; only the salty, brown waters and rivers by the forests, which are full of dead trees, that I may add.”
“I’m still confused,” Link said, “Why is this land so dull and gloomy?” And a look of incredible fear came into the Twiddledink’s eyes. “Oh…you should never question the dream warrior’s commands…” it replied, “…She’ll get angry if she hears you. What she says goes around here. Happiness, love, laughter, and beauty are forbidden here, ever since she became ruler of Tommunock.”
“Who is this dream warrior that you speak of?”
“Oh…Her name is Janicuss, and she rules all of Tommunock and the Land of Dreams.”
Suddenly, Link beamed as an idea came to his mind. “Say, what’s your name?” he first asked the little person, and it answered, “Fiddle Diddle.”
“Well, Fiddle, do you perhaps know how to get into this Land of Dreams?”
Fiddle hesitated to respond. “Well…I really mustn’t tell you,” it told him. “She’ll get angry if she knows I told you.” Now Link was becoming impatient. “I promise, she’ll never find out. I just really need to know. She has my girlfriend trapped there.” This bit of information really seemed to get Fiddle more interested in the subject.
“Oh, is that so?” it asked, “Janicuss has hold of your darling…I see. Why would she want her for?”
“First tell me how to get there.”
Still, Fiddle insisted on shaking its head. “Sorry, chap. It’s not that easy. I’m not free, you know. I’m a Twiddledink Tomican, not just any old Tomican. My breed is known for our great knowledge and guidance. And it seems to me that you are an outsider, not from Tommunock. I think that we should get to know each other before we decide to spill out anymore secrets.”
Link sighed, but managed to agree. “My name is Link, and I’m from Hyrule, which is in the Divine Dimension of the East.” Hearing that statement, Fiddle Diddle nodded. “I see,” it said again, “You’re from Hyrule? I’ve heard of that place…it must be lovely…” It then seemed to float out into space. Getting annoyed, Link waved his hand in front of its face. Coming back into reality, Fiddle shook its head. “Oh, yes. Now, where was I?”
“I don’t know. Where were you?”
“I don’t know. Where was I?”
This was unbelievable.
Link decided to drop the whole game. “I don’t have time for this,” he demanded. “I need help to get to the Land of Dreams and find the Nightmare World. Now, I really don’t care if you help me anymore, so I’ll just be on my way…”
“NO! PLEASE STOP!”
Just as Link was about to leave, Fiddle jumped and grabbed hold of his legs. Link then gave the Twiddledink a strange look. “What are you doing?” he asked with provocation and displeasure. It now seemed as if Fiddle was beginning to sob.
“Please!” it wailed, “Please don’t leave me alone! I have no friends! PLEASE!”
And again, tremendous tears filled its eyes and it seemed as if it had begun to rain. Grunting, Link tried to shake Fiddle off of his leg. “Okay!” he yelled, and the Twiddledink finally let go. “Okay!” Link repeated, “I won’t leave you alone. But, I just can’t stay here. You’ll have to come with me.” Smiling broadly, Fiddle jumped for joy. “Yes! An adventure! Oh, how wonderful!” Though, Link wasn’t as thrilled as Fiddle was.
And once again, Link began to wander, but now with a new companion by his side.
Though, the little thing of half his size would not shut up. Fiddle just kept blabbing away about how excited he was, causing Link to become annoyed. Of course, Fiddle had to talk about everything except about the Land of Dreams, which he wanted to know about badly and desperately.
“Where are we going?” Fiddle finally asked after about twenty minutes of aimless meandering. “I don’t know,” Link answered, “I guess I was sort of waiting for you to maybe–well, I don’t know–SHUT UP so I can figure out what to do and where to go!” His reaction to Fiddle’s question came out in a much meaner way than he had intended for it to be. This made Fiddle’s orange eyes fill with tears once again.
“I’m so sorry!” it cried, and then fell to the ground and rolled around in a ball, making a puddle of tears. Link moaned, now beginning to realize what he had gotten himself into inviting the Twiddledink to come with him. He decided to use force to get what he wanted from the hysteric creature.
“Get up and stop crying, damn it!” he yelled; and surprisingly, Fiddle obeyed his orders. A small smirk spread on Link’s face as he continued, but he tried to hide it, thinking it would ruin the effect as of him being in charge.
“Now, you are going to stop acting like a little moron, and you are going you pay attention and be of good help to me. This is not a game, alright? I have a princess to save from a psycho dream warrior bitch with homicidal fantasies, and I guarantee that this will NOT be at all easy. Now, tell me what I need to know about your Tommunock and this Land of Dreams.”
Now, Fiddle Diddle only stared at Link, its eyes bulging out of its head. Link waited, tapping his foot as he lingered around for its answer. After a moment, Fiddle sighed, and began.
“You are not at all familiar with Tommunock are you? I can tell by the way you speak and the words you say.”
“No duh.”
“I see… Well, Mr. Hylian, you have a lot to learn about this dimension that you have entered into. It’s unlike any other, I say. Very different from anything anyone has ever seen. I tell you, Tommunock used to be a land of riches, peace, and tranquility. There once were flowers of so many beautiful, lovely colors. There once were mornings, and they were so enchanting. Now, darkness looms; for, she likes it that way. The grasses were green, pink, and yellow. The skies were blue and crimson. The waters were fresh, not salty and brown like they have become now.
“Tommunock used to be the loveliest land of the entire world. Even greater than your kingdom of Hyrule, actually. Love used to blossom everyday, and romance was much too common. Yes, ‘twas extremely adoring. I remember it as if it were only yesterday…Ah yes…”
Again, Fiddle Diddle seemed to drift off into space. Link sighed. “Get on with the program,” he urged, and it nodded its head. “Oh, yes. Of course,” Fiddle said, and he carried on.
“Anyway, legend says that in ancient times, the land of Tommunock was so beautiful and glorious that the three antediluvian goddesses of the probably familiar to you Triforce blessed it with having the Land of Dreams and the Nightmare World, were the ruler of Tommunock would watch over it and be the keeper of all dreams and nightmares over all three dimensions–the whole world. The Land of Dreams is indeed inside Tommunock, but ‘tis in the south. We are now in the north. I know, it is rather confusing, but that is the way it is. They say the only way to find the Land of Dreams is to get permission from the dream warrior. But, I have heard of other ways. Of course, when you are sleeping you are automatically in the Land of Dreams, but you actually do not know it. However, there is a little method known as daydreaming. Sound familiar? Well, it’s much harder and complicated than it sounds. You don’t merely just daydream; you must be in some sort of trance. You can’t just make up in your mind some little fantasy that you save the princess and then leave. No, for thoughts, fantasies, and memories are kept in another world, which is known as the Mind Continuum. But, that is a whole different story, for only the Triforce watches over that area.
“Anyway, let’s get back to the subject. This form of daydreaming that I am speaking of is not your typical daydream. You first must enter a trance, and knowingly be in the dream world while you are still partially awake. Then, using the magic of the legendary Dream Stone, you may be transported to the area that is in your mind, and then continue on from there. Though, you may find yourself running around through various dreams, and even nightmares, perhaps, before you reach your designated area.”
Link frowned, not too pleased with the information bestowed upon him. “I can’t believe I have to get another damn crystal,” he murmured to himself, placing his hand on his forehead. “And where do I find this Dream Stone?” he finally asked Fiddle, who hesitated to answer.
“Um…I mustn’t say.”
“Tell me, damn it!”
He was about to jump on top of Fiddle and choke him, but the cowardly Twiddledink quickly dodged him. “Oh, please do not get upset with me!” it cried, “If you haven’t noticed, I am quite emotional. You see…I’m not like other Twiddledink Tomicans…I’m very touchy, and I usually forget what I’m talking about and doze off, talking about other things and places…and…where was I?”
Link couldn’t take it anymore. He was about ready to use every name in the book. Though, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Okay…” he said slowly, “What the hell is a Twiddledink?” Just saying that word made him feel like a complete moron.
“Oh, how simple!” Fiddle exclaimed. “Tomicans are the people of Tommunock, but there are various kinds. There are, of course, the Twiddledinks, which are fun little creatures. However, we cannot have fun and bring joy to the land any longer, even though that’s what we were created to do. Miss Janicuss doesn’t like that. She said she’ll destroy us if we continued to do so. Anyway, where was I?”
“The damn Tomicans!”
“Oh, yes. Right. Anyway, there are two other groups of Tomicans. They are the Fuddle-Wuddles and the Figger-Wiggers. The Fuddle-Wuddles look much like you, Link. Though, the women have long, feline-like tails by their bottoms as the men have a little bunny rabbit tail! The Figger-Wiggers are either really short or really tall creatures. They have three eyes, ten arms, and hop on one leg. They don’t have sexes, just like us Twiddledinks. We and they are simply it’s.”
Link nodded as he tried to let all this silly, strange information soak into his head. Twiddledinks, Fuddle-Wuddles, and Figger-Wiggers…Strange, but simple enough. Link exhaled deeply before he asked his most important question to Fiddle. “So…are you about ready to answer my question about that stone?” Fiddle looked puzzled.
“What stone?”
“The Dream Stone!”
“Oh, yes…no.”
Link’s face was now beet red as he argued with the annoying ‘it.’ “Why must you be so stubborn?” he demanded, just about ready to literally attack Fiddle. The creature only sighed, but then oddly smiled at him. “Well, I mustn’t tell you because…because…”
“Yes?”
“Because…you’re not ready to know yet.”
Link grunted as Fiddle Diddle continued. “First, you’re going to need some basic equipment if you even plan on entering the Land of Dreams,” he began. “You can’t have that little sword with you there, because there mustn’t be any violence. But, the Nightmare World is a different story. You can have all the violence you want!”
“Then, how will I bring my sword there?”
“You won’t. You’ll imagine one! My, how clever am I! Sometimes I just surprise myself because of my incredible wit and…and…where was I?”
“The Nightmare Word!”
“Oh, yes… Anyway, you are going to need a special tunic than that little green thing you are wearing. It’s called the Dreamer’s Tunic, which allows you not to be invisible when you enter the Land of Dreams. It’s much like yours, but there’s only a slight difference in the color. It’s no big deal, really. Pink would look really nice on you, I’m sure.”
Link stopped him. “Pink?” he repeated, not admiring the idea, “There is no way I am going to wear a pink tunic, I–“
“If you want to rescue your little damsel-in-distress you will.”
Link then closed his mouth, and Fiddle smiled. “Good. That worked. Now, as I was saying…Yes, the pink tunic. You’re going to need that. Also, the Reflector Shield will be of very good use to you. It will reflect certain types of dream magic directed towards you. Lastly, you will need money to buy and collect these items!”
“What’s the currency here?”
“Why, it is the kumo, of course.”
Finding out all this strange information made Link more upset than happy. Figger-what-cha-ma-call-its? Indeed, this place sounded more like a land of fairy tales, even though it was so gloomy and depressing. And now, he would need to get money and buy some new things for this journey of his. It was only the first day of his adventure, and already he was finding out all this important info from this strange little Tomican. Link decided that he would let Fiddle follow him around for a little while, just in case it knew something else imperative…
But it did… Fiddle Diddle most certainly knew where the Dream Stone was.
Of course, there was a good chance that it was lying to him. Why should he trust that annoying Twiddledink? Why, he had just met him! Link chose that he would keep a close eye on Fiddle, just in case.
Link cleared his throat before speaking. “So, what do you think we should do now to get started?” he asked. “Well, we need to get you ready, most definitely!” Fiddle exclaimed, “We’ve got some kumos to look for!”
“And how do you suppose we do that?”
“I don’t know…I was sort of hoping that you would figure it out…”
Link pressed his lips together in aggravation. “You’re the one who lives here, for crying out loud!” Link yelled, “Why would you possibly consider that I would be able to find them?”
Fiddle shuddered, embarrassed and ashamed of his lack of wisdom at the moment. “I’m incredibly sorry,” it announced, tears swelling in its large, anomalous, orange eyes, “Please, forgive me. I did not know what I was thinking. My, you must think that I am some sort of fool. I don’t deserve to go on this adventure with you. Oh, I am such a pathetic waste of life!”
“I forgive you, damn it! Shut up!”
All Link wanted now was to rescue the princess on his own, but he knew that he couldn’t have his cake and eat it too. Fiddle Diddle knew things he didn’t know, and it would be useful in the long run. There was a glow in Fiddle’s eyes as it continued to stare at the features of Link’s face…and it only kept on staring. Link then gave the Twiddledink a funny look.
“What’s up your bum?”
Fiddle did not answer right away, but only squinted its eyes and looked even harder. Finally, it spoke. “Now that I look at you, actually…I know where we could get some help…”
“What?”
"The kayvajik Fuddle-Wuddle women…” Fiddle finished with an enormous grin. Link, on the other hand, didn’t know where the creature was going with all of this. “Who are kayvajiks?” Link asked.
“The ladies of the night.”
This made Link’s cheeks turn bright red the moment Fiddle responded. “And how are they supposed to help me?” he asked hastily. “Well, with their profession, you’ve got to admit that they make a lot of money. They also seem to be very emotional and sympathetic. If they see a handsome lad like yourself, telling your little sad story of why you are here, they are most likely to give you plenty of kumos!”
“Life doesn’t work like that, Fiddle.”
“Well…it does here, Link.”
Link sighed, and then shook his head sternly. “I am not going to hang out with a bunch of hookers and beg for money. You can do whatever you want, but leave me out of it. No way; no way! I’m staying right here.”
And then they stood by the whore house.
Link looked straight ahead at the lit lantern, its depiction. He could hear the disturbing noises that went on inside, trying to get rid of the images that were in his mind. “I can’t believe you brought me here,” Link said to Fiddle, who seemed to be quite calm and relaxed about the whole thing. It merely just shrugged Link’s comment off.
“I do not know what you’re problem is. I’m the one who’s going to do this for you, anyway,” Fiddle replied. Link just sighed. “I thought happiness was forbidden here,” he remarked, “…Wouldn’t this make some guy out there, er…happy?”
Fiddle shook its head. “It’s not really done based on happiness... No one is in love, and basically, no one cares. It is more like a business agreement. Those women Fuddle-Wuddles are probably not enjoying it, but they need to find some way to live.”
And then, the door opened. A partially dressed, petite woman with blue hair and a cat’s tail was there. “Who’s next?” she cried out, and then saw the two standing by, and smiled.
“Fiddle! Come here, you!”
Surprised, Link saw Fiddle walk towards the woman and even begin a friendly discussion with her. Fiddle made several gestures with its hands as it conversed, which seemed to make the woman more interested. For a few minutes, Link watched and waited. Fiddle’s mouth was going probably a thousand words per minute, and the lady seemed to be following everything it was saying.
It was out of nowhere when she reached inside the house and pulled out a small bag and handed it to Fiddle. Then, she closed the door and the Twiddledink ran frantically towards Link with the dumbest smile possibly known on its face.
“My, what a kind young lady!” it exclaimed, handing Link the jingly pouch, “She completely sympathized our situation of the lost wallet of yours!” Link narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?” he asked, “There is no lost wallet!”
“Right…”
Fiddle seemed to have a sarcastic, but also serious, look on its face. Link only sighed and shrugged. “Never mind,” he remarked, “Let’s just go get the damn stuff you were talking about.” Fiddle Diddle made an awkward face. “What stuff?” it asked.
“The stuff you said I’ll need before you tell me about that big secret of yours!”
Still, Fiddle was dumbfounded. “I see…” it began, but didn’t finish. Link grunted loudly. “Don’t play stupid with me!” he exclaimed, “Now, you are going to tell me where to find the shield and the tunic or you can go back to the little mud lake you came from!”
“Oh…” Fiddle replied, as if he just realized what Link was talking about, “Well, why didn’t you say so? You have to buy the Dreamer’s Tunic at the shop over there. Same goes for the shield. My, I hope you have enough. That little pouch of kumos there doesn’t look like much…”
“You’re the one who brought them to me!”
Fiddle jumped back and widened its eyes. “Jeez! You don’t have to be so crabby! You are very ungrateful, you know that?” Link only stared at the creature with annoyance lurking in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. There was no use saying anything to Fiddle, since it was a creature of confusion and exasperation. Instead, he rethought his statement and asked a different question. Link took a deep breath.
“Where is the shop?” Fiddle smiled. “Just look ahead,” was its simple reply. Link then looked from the small person to what was before him. He jumped back when he saw what was there. It was a shop, only a few yards away from him!
“That was not there a moment ago,” he commented, which was very much true. It seemed as if it appeared from out of nowhere. Fiddle’s smile turned to a large smirk. “Oh course!” it concluded, “It is the Shop of Wonders! Pretty amazing, huh?”
“Uh…yeah.”
“Good! Now, we must hurry!” And Fiddle’s fuzzy hand grabbed hold of Link’s and it began to ran hastily. Actually, it running was quite an amusing sight, since its legs were so short and its feet big. Link, though, was not laughing as they were in the shop the next moment.
However, once they entered, it didn’t seem to be as wondrous as Fiddle insisted it was. It was as dark and gloomy as it was outside. The male Fuddle-Wuddle at the desk seemed to be very quiet and petulant looking. Link gulped, wondering what he was getting himself into.
“Hello, kind sir!” Fiddle greeted the man loudly with cheer. Though, his expression didn’t change when he replied, “What do you what, punks?” That didn’t alter Fiddle’s ebullient mood. “This fellow here needs a couple of items! Would you mind helping us?”
“Spit it out.”
Before continuing, Fiddle cleared its throat. “Well, Link here has a damsel in distress and a lost wallet that he needs to save at the Land of Dreams. He’ll need the Dreamer’s tunic and Reflector Shield. Do you have any or both of those?”
“Yes. What size is this kid?”
Fiddle then carefully eyed Link. “Hmm…” it thought, “…He’s probably a slim medium…” Link rolled his eyes as the two proceeded to discuss his size in clothing. The final choice was a small, since men here in Tommunock were huge compared to male Hylians.
Link took a good look at the tunic before he paid. “Do…do you have this in anything than pink?” he asked, quite hopeful. But the man only shook his head. “Take it or leave it.” And without much of a choice, Link ‘took it.’ Then, he bought the shield. All together, that was one-hundred-fifty kumos, which left them completely broke with ten kumos left.
As they walked out of the ‘Shop of Wonders,’ Link made a face as he took another look at the tunic he was soon to wear. It was the same color as Zelda’s dress, except not as rich. He then looked from his purchase to Fiddle, who seemed rather pleased with itself.
“Are you ready to tell me now?” Link asked, and Fiddle only looked at him with dumbfounded eyes. “Whatever do you mean?” it asked. Link took a deep breath to try to calm himself. “About the Dream Stone,” Link informed, “You said you would tell me where it is once we got this stuff.”
Then, Fiddle nodded knowingly. “Oh, yes, yes! I remember now! The Dream Stone! Yes, I remember.”
“Good. Now you can tell me.”
“Yes! Now I can tell you!”
And as they walked, there was silence. Link pressed his lips together in frustration. “I’m waiting for you to tell me,” he hinted to Fiddle. The Twiddledink smiled. But, before it could say anything, it suddenly yelped out and tripped over something.
“OW!!! AH!!!!”
Link immediately stopped in his tracks to help the poor thing up. Though, he quickly let go of it when he saw something else on the ground that seemed to look interesting to him. It was a medium-sized pink rock. Link picked it up and observed it…and an idea entered his head.
“Say, Fiddle…what do you know about the Stone of Time…?”
Even now, Janicuss could still not stop laughing. She was such a clever little fox, of course. She had the little boy right where she wanted him. She watched his dreams here in Tommunock, and they all seemed to end so wonderful. He’d save the princess and they’d live happily ever after. Then, he’d wake up and know that it was all only make-believe. Poor little boy. Maybe she should mess with his dreams as well. But, she only shook her head at the idea.
Hopefully, if he knew what was good for him, he had brought the stone. Then, things would get interesting. She couldn’t wait until the climax of this adventure of his was reached, and she’d be able to have some real fun with him.
And the kid thought he has a chance at successfully saving his little princess. Ha! Too bad he doesn’t know how things are truly like in Tommunock. Too bad…
Who’s going to be the one to break the news to him…?
Janicuss grinned deviously. I guess I’ll be the kind one to inform him of data of such great importance.
Now her smile went from her left ear to her right ear as her mind filled with so many new ideas and schemes. Oh, how exciting! This was going to an exploit like any other! Perhaps she’d get more out of this than a little fun and the stone.
Just perhaps…
Fiddle Diddle was fast asleep the moment it closed its eyes. Link, on the other hand, found it rather hard to fall into sleep. They had stopped by a tree for rest (as Fiddle had put it), but the Twiddledink had ended up falling asleep. Link just sat there, leaning against a dying oak tree, holding Zelda’s headpiece in his hands and glaring at it.
A woman he loved with all his heart. It also reminded him of what tragedy and fear Zelda’s must be going through at this very moment. Her poor soul was being tortured because of a dream warrior’s greed.
Then, his mind wandered off to Impa and the baby back at the castle in Hyrule. He wondered how they were doing, especially Isabella. The child was too young and too sweet to having troubles at such an infantile age. Link lost both his parents when he was a small child, not even remembering them. His dying mother had left him as an infant with the Great Deku Tree in the Kokiri Forest. Up until he was ten years old, he thought he was a fellow Kokiri. He had then found out his true identity, a Hylian. A boy with a destiny as a hero; the Hero of Time.
He did not want Isabella to face the same pain and hardships he did while growing up. For years he meandered through Hyrule by his lonesome without parents or anyone to love and care for him. However, there was at least one person who had cared for him for so many years. It was Zelda, of course. She loved him despite his social status. He was a commoner and she was a princess, but that didn’t stop them from forming a love so great that no one could ever destroy it.
Though, it was trying to be shattered right now, by a jealous dream warrior that thinks she can always get what she wants. However, Link was determined to do what he came here to do: rescue Zelda and make sure Hyrule remains in peace.
Again, he looked at the headpiece made of gold and a ruby in its center. Link wiped the tears on his cheeks and decided to call it a night. He stuffed it back in his bag and lied down on the dead grass. Slowly, he closed his eyes. And soon, he was in the Land of Dreams, dreaming of wonderful, wonderful things! Too bad it was only a dream…
“WAKE UP!!!”
Link awoke with a total startle, almost having a heart attack. Of course, it was only Fiddle, acting like a complete moron again. The Twiddledink was parading around, singing a song about waking up to most likely try to wake Link up. Though, it was still dark, which Link wasn’t used to. So, he didn’t have to get his eyes adjusted to the light (because there wasn’t any) before he gave Fiddle an irritated glare.
“So, how did you sleep?” Fiddle asked happily and Link shrugged. “Alright, I guess,” he answered. Now, Fiddle was the one to shrug. “It’s so amazing how you do that movement with your shoulders! You Hylians of the east are quite incredible!” And now, Fiddle was shrugging his shoulders nonstop, like a crazed lunatic. Link grunted, holding himself back from kicking Fiddle as hard as he could.
“Do you think that there is some decent water around here?” Link asked Fiddle after a moment, whom beamed in response. “I was just going to mention that!” it exclaimed, “There is one spring here that has the cleanest waters left in all of Tommunock! I must show you!” Again, Fiddle grabbed link’s hand and led the way.
After dodging several trees and logs lying around, Fiddle finally brought Link to a small lake. It wasn’t much, but at least the water was clear instead of a brown color. Fiddle looked at Link and then at the lake. “So…what do you plan on doing?” it asked him.
“I would like to bathe, if you don’t mind.”
“Excellent! I want to bathe as well!”
Fiddle was about to take off its clothes when Link hastily stopped it. “Stop!” he yelled, “I do NOT want to see what an ‘it’ looks like!” With sadness in its big eyes, Fiddle sighed. “Very well then, you may bathe alone.” And Fiddle just stood there and looked at him.
“It would be nice if you leaved,” Link suggested. Fiddle’s eyes widened. “Why?” it asked. Link wrinkled his nose. “Just leave, damn it! Why do I have to explain myself to you? Maybe I don’t want you here because bathing is private and I don’t need your perverted little no-gender eyes staring at me!” After Link spoke, Fiddle was quiet. Then, with a sigh, it said, “Fine. I’ll leave.” And surprisingly, it did.
After Fiddle left, Link sighed a breath of relief. “Good riddance,” he mumbled to himself, and then pulled out the Dreamer’s Tunic from his bag. He laid it by the edge where the land and lake met, and then stripped. Link jumped into the waters, which were rather cold to be in. For a while, he closed his eyes and daydreamed of what been, what could have been, and what might be. It was considerably nice having this time with himself, without Fiddle bugging him with its naïve behavior.
Though…When he did open his eyes…
Three eyes stared back at him.
Link yelled so loud that every being in Tommunock probably heard his cry. This creature not only had three eyes, but was orange with wings. I was even stranger than Fiddle, which meant it was extremely bizarre. Link swam away as fast as he could, and the creature just shockingly stayed where it was. Link reached land and put his clothes back on (pink tunic, of course). Then, he ran to find Fiddle.
He found the Twiddledink dancing around in the forest. There was no time to be angry or upset now. He needed to get out of this place. When Fiddle saw the wet Link approaching it, it laughed. “Back so soon?” Fiddle commented.
“There’s something in that damn lake!” Link cried. Fiddle narrowed its eyes. “It didn’t…have three eyes, did it?” it asked.
“Yes!”
“Was it orange…with wings?”
“Of course! …How would you know that?”
Then, Fiddle broke out into many laughs. “Silly little Hylian!” it exclaimed, “That was no monster you saw! It was only a mere Figger-Wigger! Remember when I told you about them? They wouldn’t even harm a fly! Actually…it might be rather useful…”
Now, Link could see that Fiddle was planning something sneaky. But, before he could say anything, Fiddle opened its mouth. “Quick, show me where you found the Figger-Wigger!” With a sigh, Link ran off and Fiddle followed him.
Again, they were by the calm lake. Link and Fiddle looked around for the orange creature, but there was no sign of it this time. Fiddle exhaled deeply. “It’s too bad,” it remarked, “…it could have helped us get that crystal…”
Link’s eyes widened as he suddenly was very interested. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Well, I guess it’s about time I told you,” Fiddle began, “…that the Dream Stone is located in a certain trusted maiden’s castle…” Link paid full attention as Fiddle continued.
“This maiden is picked by every new dream warrior to keep watch of the crystal, and she guards it with her life. It’s in the Castle in the Sky, which in fact is in the sky. And the only way to get up there would be to get a ride from a flying Figger-Wigger. But, it seems that you scared this one off, Pinky. Now we’ll just have to keep trying.”
Link groaned as he listened to the news Fiddle brought to him. How unfortunate this was for him. If only he would have known what that orange thing in the lake was, perhaps he would have acted differently. But, he was, in fact, naked. He was definitely in an awkward position, you have to admit.
And Link looked at his reflection in the lake. “I look like a fruit, and I’m not talking about the kind you eat, either,” he commented; though, Fiddle didn’t get the joke. “I don’t understand, Link,” it replied, “What other kinds of fruits are there besides the ones you eat?” Link just shook his head.
“EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!”
The noise filled the entire forest, and even as he covered his ears, Link could still hear the ear-piercing shriek. Fiddle didn’t seem to mind it at all. “It’s here!” the Twiddledink exclaimed.
“Wha–“
Though, Link was cut short when he caught something large flying in the sky. Large and orange… He gasped, finally realizing what he was seeing. “A Figger-Wigger!” he proclaimed, and a large grin spread across his face as he saw the strange being land on the ground.
Its three eyes glared at the Hylian and Twiddledink, mouth agape and tongue dangling out. At once, Fiddle approached the Figger-Wigger as if they were the best of friends.
“Figgie! How have you been, Figster?”
Perhaps they did know each other after all.
“Hello, Fiddle Diddle! My, it has been such a long time!”
Link found it surprising that the Figger-Wigger, or Figgie, had such good speech and articulation. It was then when Fiddle took it upon itself to introduce Link to Figgie and vise versa. “Link, this is my long-time friend, Figgie,” Fiddle announced, “And Figgie, this is Link. He’s from Hyrule of the east. He has come to defeat Janicuss and save his true love from her evil clutches! Isn’t that so romantic…?”
All three of Figgie’s eyes blinked at different times, which seemed to give Link the creeps. The Figger-Wigger then smiled and greeted him. “Good day. I just saw you in the lake, didn’t I? I’m sorry if I frightened you.”
“Uh…That’s okay, really.”
“You came just in time!” Fiddle declared, “Because we really needed your assistance!” Figgie nodded. “Tell me what it is that you want of me, dear friend. I would be most delighted to help you in any way that there is possible.”
Fiddle cleared its throat. “Well, Janicuss has this here lover boy’s lady trapped in the Nightmare World. He wants to save her, but he needs the Dream Stone. And, you know where that is, right? Up in the Castle in the Sky. We need you to fly us up there so he can get a hold of it so he can enter into the Land of Dreams without having to deal firsthand with Janicuss.”
Again, Figgie nodded. “Very well then,” it agreed, “I shall help the young lad. It’s the least I can do.” Link smiled as they finally reached an agreement. “Thanks a lot,” Link said to Figgie, who smiled in return. “Don’t thank me,” it replied, “Just hop onto my back. We’ve got a long way to go from here.”
Fiddle was the first one to jump on. Link first made sure he had everything with him before he hesitantly joined them. “Are you both ready?” Figgie asked, rather excited. “Oh yes!!!” Fiddle exclaimed. Link couldn’t help but smile. “Of course,” he answered.
“Okay…Because we’re OFF!”
And with a sudden jolt on Figgie’s behalf, it flew up into the air: high up in the sky. As Link looked down from the distance, he could almost see all of Tommunock from his view. It wasn’t much of a sight, but it was somewhat interesting to look upon.
“WOW!!! THIS IS SO MAGNIFICENT!” Fiddle declared, speaking the loudest it had ever before. Link smiled at the ecstatic creature, who seemed to be enjoying this more than anyone else. He had to admit, it was overwhelming and quite congenial. Link had never flown on anything before…Well, he had; but not like this. This was unlike any other experience he had ever come across. The wind hitting his face was gratifying and the thrill of being up so high was tremendous and extraordinary.
In a matter of minutes, a building on a brilliant white cloud came into view. Actually, it was more than a building: it was a tall, gray castle. Link gazed at the amazing sight before him. This castle was much bigger than the one in Hyrule. However, it did appear to be more depressing in the way it looked, as if a sorceress lived there…
“Did I mention that the maiden that lives here is a sorceress?”
Deja vu.
Link gave Fiddle a strange look. “No, you didn’t,” he replied, “Does that change anything?” Fiddle was quiet. “Um…”
“Answer me, Fiddle!”
“Well…she uses her magic to create these creatures that might not be too fond of you, Link…” was its response. Link sighed. “And I guess I’m going in there alone, right?” he predicted, and Fiddle nodded its head. Again, Link heaved a sigh.
“What good are you for, anyway?”
“Well, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have even gotten this far in only two days!” Link knew that Fiddle did have a point there. It did give him plenty of information and helped him get to where he is now. “I’m sorry to interrupt your friendly conversation,” Figgie interjected, “But, we have arrived at the Castle in the Sky.” At that instant, Link looked up and his face beamed. There before him was the enormous castle, the castle that held the stone that would help him save Zelda.
Figgie landed on the cloud, and Fiddle and Link climbed off of it. They now faced the castle’s entrance, and Link took a deep breath before he went inside. He turned around and looked at Fiddle and Figgie, who gave him many thumbs up (since Figgie had ten arms).
“Go get them, Link! You can do it!” Fiddle cried hysterically, and Figgie nodded in agreement. “Yes, Link. We have faith in you.” Link frowned as he turned back around and started to head towards the entrance door. Of course, something just had to go wrong there, too.
The door was locked shut, and there was a riddle smudged on it. Link tried to read what it said. “Now that you’ve made it up above…Tell me what you base on love…?” However, that did not make sense. What you base on love… What kind of a question was that? A good example was Zelda…She was so beautiful and lovely. But is that why he loved her?
Yes, her hair was more dazzling than gold itself. Her eyes were like the morning sky in the spring of Hyrule. With full lips, the color of a pink rose. Zelda’s skin was the creamiest of peach he had ever seen; so smooth and soft. She was so delicate and fragile; he could hold her in his arms and fear breaking her. She was blessed with a exquisite voice that allowed her to sing the most beautiful songs with her vibrant voice. And yet, even if all those features were taken away from her, Link would still love her anyway.
Zelda was a good listener. She cared about everyone and anyone. She did not judge or criticize anyone (well, not to purposely hurt them, at least). Out of all the princes she could have chose to marry, she chose Link, an orphan meandering around Hyrule with no family left on the whole world. Except for the family he would make with Zelda: him, her, and Isabella (Impa would probably be added to the picture, too, obviously). He also couldn’t deny that Zelda was, indeed, a very humorous person.
Biting his lower lip, Link answered the riddle that was written on the door. “Love is not what you see, but it is what you feel on the inside.” That was a good one, he thought with a smirk as he watched a magical force overpower. This disengaged the locks on the doors. From a distance, he could hear Fiddle and Figgie (mostly Fiddle) rooting for him, knowing that he was able to successfully get the doors opened. With a proud smirk, but a nervous heart, he stepped foot inside.
And the moment he did, he wished he could step back out.
However, the doors instantaneously closed at once, and he was trapped inside the castle. Link gulped, concluding that he was going to have to get through this alone whether he liked it or not. He looked at his surroundings, which was not a very pleasant sight. Gruesome pictures were hung on the walls and skeleton bones laid all over the ground. Link sucked his lips in as he walked across the hall, dismayed and anxious all at the same time.
Everything was quiet. There was no noise, no music, and no one speaking. It was as if he was in a dark cave and nobody inhabited the area. Though, he knew that there was someone there, watching his every move. And he would have to find a way to get through and obtain the Dream Stone sufficiently.
Link stopped to take a look at some of the paintings. He felt disturbed as he looked at the images of murder, rape, and abuse that the canvases portrayed. This sorceress chick must be some kind of lunatic, Link thought to himself with an uneasy look on his face. Several times he stepped on human bones, cracking them into little pieces. He feared that, soon, those will be his bones on the ground like that.
“Hello…”
Out of panic, Link pulled out his sword. However, there was no one there. He thought he might have been hallucinating, but he greatly doubted it. Someone did talk to him, and he would not let his guard down at all.
“Hello…?”
This time, Link jumped up. He turned around in many different directions, but still did not see another soul in this part of the castle. How could this be? The voice sounded so real…Link the person was right there. It resembled that of a woman’s.
“Please, help me…”
Now it started to sound rather faded. Link continued to look for the woman, for she sounded like she was in distress. He began to run as he kept on hearing the voice calling out to him. It became louder and louder, until it felt as if she were right there screaming in his ear. Link stopped at a dead end, and could not believe what he saw. Please say my eyes are deceiving me.
Before him was a wall, but it was a mirror as well. Though, he did not see his own reflection, but that of a woman’s instead. He gasped at the sight of her banging on the other end, trapped within. Scared out of his mind, Link touched the glass, but it was as solid as can be.
“Have you come to help me?” she asked desperately. Link stared at the woman in purple leotards and pink hair. She glared at him back, her green eyes glistening with tears. Link hesitated to answer her question.
“How…how did you get there?” he managed to ask. “She trapped me in here! In the mirror!” she exclaimed, “Please, you must save me!” Still, it didn’t seem to completely answer Link’s question. “Who are you talking about?” he continued to question.
“The sorceress! Cibola!”
Link frowned, but didn’t give up. “How am I supposed to free you?” he asked.
“Get the Dream Stone! Please!”
Now, her black tail was waving to and fro. “I need to know where the stone is, ma’am,” Link continued, “Do you know?”
“It’s in her chambers! Now, hurry!”
With her last statement, Link ran off (even though he had no idea where her chambers were at). Now, he could hear strange noises lurking around. He could hear the sound of an organ playing in the background. The halls were filled with ominous laughs and threatening reverberations. Link’s heart was beating at a thousand beats per second as he aimlessly ran, hoping that he would find the right place by luck.
Needless to say, Link was never able to go anywhere without some sort of trouble arising. He found himself at another dead end. And not only that; he saw the bones on the floor begin to twitch. Sweat formed on his face as he saw the bones commence connecting to each other, creating full-figure skeletons. His eyebrows rose when they seemed to have a mind of their own, and began coming after him.
Without a break in-between, Link pulled out his sword. Then, he used a technique that seemed to have worked in the past: he closed his eyes and started swinging his sword as if his life depended on it (which it did). He had gotten so into it that, even after it seemed that they were all once again in tiny pieces, he still kept swinging. Link finally stopped after a moment and opened his eyes. Seeing that things were once again okay, for now, he began to run off again.
Well, that way wasn’t such a good idea, he thought to himself as he ran as fast as his legs could go, Maybe if I go left I would be able to find it... And so, he did. He took a left instead of a right. This led him to another hall of many, many doors. Each one had a number on it (1 through 10).
Link was about to proceed, but he was stopped when a blast of light approached him. This caused him to fall on the floor. Link covered his eyes as the figure came closer. When the light faded, he was able to notice another Twiddledink looking back at him.
“What the fu–“
“Welcome! I am the Twiddledink of the Castle in the Sky!” it announced, cutting Link off. Abruptly, Link stood as he watched the Twiddledink fix its bowtie. “Bobbie Robbie’s the name, and riddles are my game!” it concluded. Link frowned at the sight of the green creature.
“What the hell is this about?” Link asked Bobbie. It smiled at him. “Well, you have to answer my riddle, of course!” Bobbie told him, “Then, you can choose a door and enter!”
“Fine. Give it to me.”
Bobbie cleared its throat. “Okay. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” Link only stared at the Twiddledink blankly. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he commented, “What the hell is that suppose to mean?”
Bobbie sighed. “Never mind. I’ll give you another one. Alright…Why did the chicken cross the road?”
“…To get to the other side?”
“Yes! That’s right!” Bobbie cried, and then it began to dance around joyfully. Link, on the other hand, was not at all amused. “Okay, you could go flop around somewhere else. I really need to get through!” Instantly, The Twiddledink stopped and nodded its head in a silly manner. “Very well then,” it replied, “But, let me give you a little hint: the right door is an odd number between one through five, and it isn’t one or three! I hope you can figure it out!”
Link didn’t say anything. He just went to the fifth door and opened it.
It seemed to be a room of complete insanity (or something you’d see in an exorcist movie). There were chairs and table flying around in midair, and the walls kept changing colors every few seconds. The center of the ground was also spinning eccentrically. Link gulped and his eyes broadened at the peculiar sight. Did he enter into the correct room? He checked the number of the door again: number five. He sighed as he let go of the knob, and it instantly closed shut on its own. He tried to reopen it, but the handle wouldn’t budge.
It looked like he was now stuck in this chaotic room. Link could only stare at the wooden tables and seats soaring in the air, which did not have a reasonable explanation for it. He then tried to walk across without touching the center; but, unfortunately, he was not successful.
Now, he found himself spinning like a madman in the center, not being able to stop. Link started to get very dizzy as the floor continued to spin…and spin…and spin. Just before he lost his balance and consciousness, he drew his sword and stuck it in the center. Auspiciously, his plan worked. Link was able to stop the floor from whirling, but he also knew that it probably would not last for long, either.
Quickly, he ran away from the center, and then used his hook shot to retrieve his sword once more. Of course, this caused the floor to start rotating again. Though, Link didn’t have to worry about it now, since he was on the other side.
Link looked before him and saw two doors. The door on the left was turquoise, and it read ‘The Doorway.’ Then, Link looked at the other one, which was hot pink. This door read ‘The Other Doorway.’ He sighed as he thought carefully of which door he should open. The Doorway or the Other Doorway? This was so confusing and downright dumb!
And then, another idea came to mind.
With a smirk, Link opened both door at the same time. Isn’t that something? However, it wasn’t much of a big deal. Both doors led to the same area, it was just that one was on the left and the other was on the right. With a sigh, Link chose the left door.
It only brought him into another hallway. This was obviously getting him nowhere. Again, he began to run. Link didn’t know where he was going, and at this point, he really didn’t care. He prayed that his aimless wandering would lead him to where he needed to be.
Link decided to close his eyes and let fate choose where he would go next. However, that wasn’t such a great idea. He ended up bumping harshly against a wall, causing his nose to start bleeding. That didn’t stop Link from getting up and trying again. He left the blood alone as he looked around at his milieu. Now he was at a corner. There were two sides he could choose from. Left or right?
Link grunted as he tried to make a hasty, but wise, decision. Then, he remembered how the two doors had worked previously: they both led to the same place. Link took a deep breath as he made his risky choice of going left again. Thankfully, he didn’t reach a dead end. This time, there was only one door; a special door, in fact.
He gazed at the giant entrance to the unknown room. It was plated with gold and diamonds. It was very lovely, really. Link was dying with curiosity as he continued to gawk at the door, wondering what could be inside. Slowly, his hand went to the knob, and he turned it leisurely.
Opportunely, the handle turned, and the door opened all the way. Inside was complete blackness, and Link began to doubt whether or not he should enter. “Well, here goes nothing,” he whispered to himself as he chose to enter the dark room. The door closed behind him, and the only source of light was a blue glow from the middle of a table.
Of course!
Link ran as fast as he could to where the light was glistening. And there it was, the Dream Stone. He could not believe his eyes. Actually, he mostly couldn’t believe that he truly had made it this far. A smile formed on his lips as he began to reach over and grab the stone.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, little boy?!”
Link then stopped dead in his tracks. Suddenly, light filled the whole room. And there, from a very short distance, he saw a woman who did not seem to happy with him. Her hair was rich black and wild. Her eyes glowed an evil red; as well as the expression on her face being very cruel and filled with anger.
“Who…who are you?” was all that could come out of his mouth.
“I am Cibola. Sorceress of the Castle in the Sky. And who might you be?”
“I’m Link…” he answered hesitantly, but then regretted it. This Cibola chick looked fuming and enraged as she walked closer towards him. “And just what do you think you’re doing with my stone?” she demanded, “Are you some sort of thief, kid?”
“I’m sorry, but I really need this, ma’am,” he tried to convince her politely, hoping it would work. Of course his idea failed. Cibola only laughed slyly at his comment. “Oh, is that so?” she asked, “Perhaps you don’t know who I am, little boy. I own this castle and my powers are of one of the greatest in all of Tommunock. I am not going to be persuaded by some pretty boy who thinks he’s so cunning.”
Link didn’t say anything. What was he supposed to say? Instead, he only looked at Cibola with an uneasy expression. She laughed at him. “This isn’t for that silly little trollop I trapped in that mirror, is it?” she asked, “I put her there for a reason, and I intend for her to stay there.”
Now Cibola was about a foot away from Link, and she began to slowly circle him. “Hmm…Not bad…” she remarked, “You’d be a pleasant addition to my castle…” Finally, Link managed to speak.
“Excuse me?”
“Though, you’ll need to change out of that ridiculous tunic.”
“Wait a minute! I cannot stay here,” Link argued, “I just need this stone and I’ll be on my way now.” Again, he reached for it, but Cibola stopped him. Now, she seemed more outraged than before. “What do you think you are doing, little boy? Nobody says no to Cibola!”
Now, her voice roared, and the room began to shake, which indeed make Link panic. Cibola flew into the air, her red tail waving frantically. “Fine, I’ll give you the stone…” she compromised, “…if you think you can get it from me!”
“Evil spirits of the north,
What I ask, you shall bring forth!
Magic of the south merge
And listen to your mighty serge!”
Then, a large orb formed in her hands, and she aimed it towards Link’s head. He gulped, taking out his shield to block the attack. Though, when it hit the shield, it didn’t reflect back the way it should have. It caused him to fall to the ground, bumping his head against the wall harshly.
Link placed the tips of his fingers at the back of his head, and he could feel the blood touch his skin. Though, he had no time for pain now. Biting his lips, he stood and pulled out his sword once again. “I’m ready for whatever you plan on bringing to me, wench!” he cried out, and a chuckle emerged from Cibola’s mouth. “You are such an amusing child!” she exclaimed, “I hate that in a man!”
“Essences of the north and south,
Listen to the words of my mouth:
Give me powers to proceed
So I may providently succeed!”
Another orb formed in her hands, but this one was even bigger than before. She raised it above her head (looking like a madwoman), laughing uncontrollably with her hair blowing up against her face.
“Uh oh…”
“Do you have any last words before you die, little boy?!” she yelled amidst her madcap hysterics. Link sighed, figuring this was the end for him. But then, his frown turned to a quick smile as he thought of something that might allow him to live through this.
“Why, yes. Actually, I do,” he answered with simplicity. Cibola gave him a suspicious and bemused look. “Oh, and what would that be?” she asked him sternly.
“Sorry, it looks like you’re out of time.”
Cibola gasped, suddenly realizing what trick Link had played on her. The orb had gotten too big, and 1…2…3…
BOOM!
The explosion was incredible. Link could hear Cibola scream her last shriek of her life. The detonation was so vast that it caused Link to fly back harshly. However, that didn’t stop him. The whole room was on fire, and the Dream Stone still laid on the table in the center.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Link ran and grabbed the stone, and then he scurried out of the ablaze, smoldering room. However, the fire followed him out of there. Link ran as fast as he could to reach the mirror where the young Fuddle-Wuddle maiden had been trapped inside.
Now, the whole castle was beginning to burst into flames, and Link knew he was running out of time. He continued to dash, hoping that he would remember where the large mirror was so he could free the girl and the both of them could escape from the castle.
However, when he reached the ten door puzzle area, Bobbie Robbie unexpectedly appeared as if from nowhere. It smiled and began to dance in front of him. “Congratulations!” It exclaimed, “How does it feel to have possession of the mighty Dream Stone?”
“Get the hell out of my way!”
At that moment, Link didn’t care if he was being rude to the poor Twiddledink. The castle was on fire, and he needed to get out alive. From a distance, Link could hear even Bobbie exclaim that the castle was going to burn down, and soon the Twiddledink began to run alongside him as well.
Now, here he was: Trying to save a woman trapped in a mirror with another annoying, bizarre partner. But, Link tried not to think about that. He didn’t have time. Someone was in danger and he had to save her.
Finally, Link made it to the final hallway, where the dead-end mirror had been. From afar, he could see the image of the pink-haired woman waiting desperately for her freedom. Now, the blazes were only a few yards behind him and Bobbie, which made Link more determined than ever to free the lady and get the hell out of there.
When he at long last reached the mirror, the woman seemed to beam with joy. “You found the stone!” she cried happily, “Now, please! Free me!” Without knowing exactly what he was doing, Link took the stone and placed it against the mirror. Then, there was a blue flash of light, and the maiden slipped her whole body through. Instantly, she gave Link a tremendous hug.
“You wonderful man! You saved me!”
“Miss, there’s no time for this now. The castle’s on fire!”
Right away, she pulled away from him. “What?!” she yelled, and then scowled, “You’re burning down the castle?!” Though, Link didn’t respond, but only took her hand and started to run again. Of course, Bobbie followed.
“Hey, do you want to hear a good fire joke?”
“Shut up!”
And it did. Faster and faster they ran, trying to ditch the flames that were headed their way. At last, they made it towards the entrance, but trouble rose there as well. A large piece of the castle’s ceiling fell to the ground, blazing with furious flames. The maiden screamed as Bobbie began to run around in circles frantically, yelling for help.
Link didn’t know what he should do. It seemed quite obvious that they were trapped there to die, with no way out. He was going to let Fiddle and Figgie down; he was going to let the maiden and Bobbie down; he was going to disappoint Impa and the whole kingdom of Hyrule…But, most importantly, he was going to disgruntle Zelda.
And he could never do that.
Without thinking rationally, Link glared at the fuming flames. “Both of you, take my hand!” he cried out, and they looked at him as if he were insane. Seeing that they were still, Link yelled at them again. “Come on! You can trust me!” And nervously, they listen to him. Each one grabbed his hand, and he began to run towards the exit.
With a strong leap, he jumped over the fires, barely touching them, and now faced the way out. Without any hesitation, he continued to run with Bobbie and the Fuddle-Wuddle as they found their way out of the castle and running as far away as they could from it.
From afar, they watched the last of the Castle in the Sky burn down into ashes.
For a while, there was complete silence. No one could speak as the last of the sky charred into nothing. Of course, the solitude wa
Part Three:
The Castle in the Sky
When his eyelids rose, what he saw was no more of a difference than when his eyes were shut. It was a strange land of darkness, and the only noises that could be heard where that of the crows chirping and the people mourning. It was also quite chilly out, with a bitter breeze of the winds. The time was unknown. His absolute location was indefinite. The sounds of wails and howls sent shivers down his spine. Could this be it? Had he arrived safely?
Of course… What Link saw was the environment of the land of Tommunock.
Link rose from the ground and looked ubiquitously at what was around him. Tiny, tiny houses surrounded the area, built from the dirtiest and most revolting wood he had ever seen. Old trees without leaves where amongst the homes, and the grass was as black as the sky itself. It was a land of dread, a place of sorrow. This was indeed the Divine Dimension called Tommunock.
And here he was, alone. He would have to face all the dangers and obstacles by himself. Link knew that this wasn’t going to be easy, and that he wouldn’t be able to rescue the princess right away. Undeniably, this journey would take much time and effort on his behalf.
Also, Link had no idea of where and what he was to go and do first. All Impa had told him was to find the Land of Dreams and get into the Nightmare World. She didn’t give him any basic instructions or step-by-step outline of what he was supposed to do to get to his destination. All the mad woman had told him was to ask around. What a brilliant idea, Link thought sarcastically, Just go and make an idiot of myself to strangers. Impa needs to get a life.
Though, even now there was no time for jokes or biting wit. Link had a princess to save, didn’t he? What was he waiting for? He took a moment to stretch after his long thought. Then, he checked his attire and weapons. Everything supposedly still seemed to be with him. Hopefully they would stay with him as well. Also, he didn’t have Epona alongside him either, which was a major minus there. Link would have to walk and run everywhere; another minus.
Of course, he had to start off somehow. Besides, the specific area he was in was starting to give him the creeps. There were all these strange looking animals flying around the place, none of which he has ever seen; and strange noises were heard from all over. And these noises, too, were definitely unfamiliar. Link scrambled to his feet and started to head towards one of the nearby houses of the land.
As he walked, he couldn’t help but get the feeling that someone (or, in this case, something) was following him. At first, Link only looked behind himself, and with seeing nothing there he began to go again, merely shrugging the suspicion off. However, he began to feel stranger and stranger as he continued to venture.
Thump. Thump. Thump thump.
Instantly, he turned around with his heart beating rapidly, but there was no one there. Link began to ease, thinking that it was probably his imagination. But he couldn’t help but feel wary as he started to saunter once more.
Thump. Stomp stomp, thump…
Link stopped. Silence.
THUMP!!!
With a leap, Link turned and what he saw caused him to jump a few feet back with, completely startled. From a few yards away, the fuzzy creature glared at him, its whole body covered with purple hairs and black fur. Its legs were short, and its eyes seemed to bulge out of its [sort of] head. Link’s eyes were now as wide as they had ever been as he could only look at the brute, not finding it in him to move the slightest bit.
It wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before. The being looked at him with curiosity, as if it were more inquisitive than sinister. It started to head towards him, and Link slowly pulled out his sword in defense. Seeing the sharp blade, the creature stopped with a squeak.
“EEK! Don’t hurt me, please!”
Link raised an eyebrow as he heard it speak with its strident and shrill voice. Suspecting its innocence, Link deposited his sword back on his back and moved towards the strange brute. As Link walked closer to it, it took a few steps back.
“Who are you?” Link called out, “…Actually, what are you?”
The little purple and black man gulped. “I’m…I’m a…um…”
Link rolled his eyes as he waited for it to answer.
“I’m…a Twiddledink Tomican.”
“Twiddledink?” Link repeated, “I don’t understand.” The little Tomican decided to come up to his face and take a whiff of him. Link found it to be rather weird and awkward, the little thing smelling him like that. It pulled away from his body and smiled in a silly manner.
“Mmm…” it commented, “…you smell nice. Your scent is different from us Tomicans. You smell like beautiful, wonderful things! Like flowers and lakes and other stuff we never get to experience here in Tommunock.”
“You mean, there aren’t any flowers or lakes here?” Link asked, quite surprised, and the Twiddledink shook its head. “Oh, no,” it answered, “No flowers; just the flaky old stems that grow on the black grasses. No lakes; only the salty, brown waters and rivers by the forests, which are full of dead trees, that I may add.”
“I’m still confused,” Link said, “Why is this land so dull and gloomy?” And a look of incredible fear came into the Twiddledink’s eyes. “Oh…you should never question the dream warrior’s commands…” it replied, “…She’ll get angry if she hears you. What she says goes around here. Happiness, love, laughter, and beauty are forbidden here, ever since she became ruler of Tommunock.”
“Who is this dream warrior that you speak of?”
“Oh…Her name is Janicuss, and she rules all of Tommunock and the Land of Dreams.”
Suddenly, Link beamed as an idea came to his mind. “Say, what’s your name?” he first asked the little person, and it answered, “Fiddle Diddle.”
“Well, Fiddle, do you perhaps know how to get into this Land of Dreams?”
Fiddle hesitated to respond. “Well…I really mustn’t tell you,” it told him. “She’ll get angry if she knows I told you.” Now Link was becoming impatient. “I promise, she’ll never find out. I just really need to know. She has my girlfriend trapped there.” This bit of information really seemed to get Fiddle more interested in the subject.
“Oh, is that so?” it asked, “Janicuss has hold of your darling…I see. Why would she want her for?”
“First tell me how to get there.”
Still, Fiddle insisted on shaking its head. “Sorry, chap. It’s not that easy. I’m not free, you know. I’m a Twiddledink Tomican, not just any old Tomican. My breed is known for our great knowledge and guidance. And it seems to me that you are an outsider, not from Tommunock. I think that we should get to know each other before we decide to spill out anymore secrets.”
Link sighed, but managed to agree. “My name is Link, and I’m from Hyrule, which is in the Divine Dimension of the East.” Hearing that statement, Fiddle Diddle nodded. “I see,” it said again, “You’re from Hyrule? I’ve heard of that place…it must be lovely…” It then seemed to float out into space. Getting annoyed, Link waved his hand in front of its face. Coming back into reality, Fiddle shook its head. “Oh, yes. Now, where was I?”
“I don’t know. Where were you?”
“I don’t know. Where was I?”
This was unbelievable.
Link decided to drop the whole game. “I don’t have time for this,” he demanded. “I need help to get to the Land of Dreams and find the Nightmare World. Now, I really don’t care if you help me anymore, so I’ll just be on my way…”
“NO! PLEASE STOP!”
Just as Link was about to leave, Fiddle jumped and grabbed hold of his legs. Link then gave the Twiddledink a strange look. “What are you doing?” he asked with provocation and displeasure. It now seemed as if Fiddle was beginning to sob.
“Please!” it wailed, “Please don’t leave me alone! I have no friends! PLEASE!”
And again, tremendous tears filled its eyes and it seemed as if it had begun to rain. Grunting, Link tried to shake Fiddle off of his leg. “Okay!” he yelled, and the Twiddledink finally let go. “Okay!” Link repeated, “I won’t leave you alone. But, I just can’t stay here. You’ll have to come with me.” Smiling broadly, Fiddle jumped for joy. “Yes! An adventure! Oh, how wonderful!” Though, Link wasn’t as thrilled as Fiddle was.
And once again, Link began to wander, but now with a new companion by his side.
Though, the little thing of half his size would not shut up. Fiddle just kept blabbing away about how excited he was, causing Link to become annoyed. Of course, Fiddle had to talk about everything except about the Land of Dreams, which he wanted to know about badly and desperately.
“Where are we going?” Fiddle finally asked after about twenty minutes of aimless meandering. “I don’t know,” Link answered, “I guess I was sort of waiting for you to maybe–well, I don’t know–SHUT UP so I can figure out what to do and where to go!” His reaction to Fiddle’s question came out in a much meaner way than he had intended for it to be. This made Fiddle’s orange eyes fill with tears once again.
“I’m so sorry!” it cried, and then fell to the ground and rolled around in a ball, making a puddle of tears. Link moaned, now beginning to realize what he had gotten himself into inviting the Twiddledink to come with him. He decided to use force to get what he wanted from the hysteric creature.
“Get up and stop crying, damn it!” he yelled; and surprisingly, Fiddle obeyed his orders. A small smirk spread on Link’s face as he continued, but he tried to hide it, thinking it would ruin the effect as of him being in charge.
“Now, you are going to stop acting like a little moron, and you are going you pay attention and be of good help to me. This is not a game, alright? I have a princess to save from a psycho dream warrior bitch with homicidal fantasies, and I guarantee that this will NOT be at all easy. Now, tell me what I need to know about your Tommunock and this Land of Dreams.”
Now, Fiddle Diddle only stared at Link, its eyes bulging out of its head. Link waited, tapping his foot as he lingered around for its answer. After a moment, Fiddle sighed, and began.
“You are not at all familiar with Tommunock are you? I can tell by the way you speak and the words you say.”
“No duh.”
“I see… Well, Mr. Hylian, you have a lot to learn about this dimension that you have entered into. It’s unlike any other, I say. Very different from anything anyone has ever seen. I tell you, Tommunock used to be a land of riches, peace, and tranquility. There once were flowers of so many beautiful, lovely colors. There once were mornings, and they were so enchanting. Now, darkness looms; for, she likes it that way. The grasses were green, pink, and yellow. The skies were blue and crimson. The waters were fresh, not salty and brown like they have become now.
“Tommunock used to be the loveliest land of the entire world. Even greater than your kingdom of Hyrule, actually. Love used to blossom everyday, and romance was much too common. Yes, ‘twas extremely adoring. I remember it as if it were only yesterday…Ah yes…”
Again, Fiddle Diddle seemed to drift off into space. Link sighed. “Get on with the program,” he urged, and it nodded its head. “Oh, yes. Of course,” Fiddle said, and he carried on.
“Anyway, legend says that in ancient times, the land of Tommunock was so beautiful and glorious that the three antediluvian goddesses of the probably familiar to you Triforce blessed it with having the Land of Dreams and the Nightmare World, were the ruler of Tommunock would watch over it and be the keeper of all dreams and nightmares over all three dimensions–the whole world. The Land of Dreams is indeed inside Tommunock, but ‘tis in the south. We are now in the north. I know, it is rather confusing, but that is the way it is. They say the only way to find the Land of Dreams is to get permission from the dream warrior. But, I have heard of other ways. Of course, when you are sleeping you are automatically in the Land of Dreams, but you actually do not know it. However, there is a little method known as daydreaming. Sound familiar? Well, it’s much harder and complicated than it sounds. You don’t merely just daydream; you must be in some sort of trance. You can’t just make up in your mind some little fantasy that you save the princess and then leave. No, for thoughts, fantasies, and memories are kept in another world, which is known as the Mind Continuum. But, that is a whole different story, for only the Triforce watches over that area.
“Anyway, let’s get back to the subject. This form of daydreaming that I am speaking of is not your typical daydream. You first must enter a trance, and knowingly be in the dream world while you are still partially awake. Then, using the magic of the legendary Dream Stone, you may be transported to the area that is in your mind, and then continue on from there. Though, you may find yourself running around through various dreams, and even nightmares, perhaps, before you reach your designated area.”
Link frowned, not too pleased with the information bestowed upon him. “I can’t believe I have to get another damn crystal,” he murmured to himself, placing his hand on his forehead. “And where do I find this Dream Stone?” he finally asked Fiddle, who hesitated to answer.
“Um…I mustn’t say.”
“Tell me, damn it!”
He was about to jump on top of Fiddle and choke him, but the cowardly Twiddledink quickly dodged him. “Oh, please do not get upset with me!” it cried, “If you haven’t noticed, I am quite emotional. You see…I’m not like other Twiddledink Tomicans…I’m very touchy, and I usually forget what I’m talking about and doze off, talking about other things and places…and…where was I?”
Link couldn’t take it anymore. He was about ready to use every name in the book. Though, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Okay…” he said slowly, “What the hell is a Twiddledink?” Just saying that word made him feel like a complete moron.
“Oh, how simple!” Fiddle exclaimed. “Tomicans are the people of Tommunock, but there are various kinds. There are, of course, the Twiddledinks, which are fun little creatures. However, we cannot have fun and bring joy to the land any longer, even though that’s what we were created to do. Miss Janicuss doesn’t like that. She said she’ll destroy us if we continued to do so. Anyway, where was I?”
“The damn Tomicans!”
“Oh, yes. Right. Anyway, there are two other groups of Tomicans. They are the Fuddle-Wuddles and the Figger-Wiggers. The Fuddle-Wuddles look much like you, Link. Though, the women have long, feline-like tails by their bottoms as the men have a little bunny rabbit tail! The Figger-Wiggers are either really short or really tall creatures. They have three eyes, ten arms, and hop on one leg. They don’t have sexes, just like us Twiddledinks. We and they are simply it’s.”
Link nodded as he tried to let all this silly, strange information soak into his head. Twiddledinks, Fuddle-Wuddles, and Figger-Wiggers…Strange, but simple enough. Link exhaled deeply before he asked his most important question to Fiddle. “So…are you about ready to answer my question about that stone?” Fiddle looked puzzled.
“What stone?”
“The Dream Stone!”
“Oh, yes…no.”
Link’s face was now beet red as he argued with the annoying ‘it.’ “Why must you be so stubborn?” he demanded, just about ready to literally attack Fiddle. The creature only sighed, but then oddly smiled at him. “Well, I mustn’t tell you because…because…”
“Yes?”
“Because…you’re not ready to know yet.”
Link grunted as Fiddle Diddle continued. “First, you’re going to need some basic equipment if you even plan on entering the Land of Dreams,” he began. “You can’t have that little sword with you there, because there mustn’t be any violence. But, the Nightmare World is a different story. You can have all the violence you want!”
“Then, how will I bring my sword there?”
“You won’t. You’ll imagine one! My, how clever am I! Sometimes I just surprise myself because of my incredible wit and…and…where was I?”
“The Nightmare Word!”
“Oh, yes… Anyway, you are going to need a special tunic than that little green thing you are wearing. It’s called the Dreamer’s Tunic, which allows you not to be invisible when you enter the Land of Dreams. It’s much like yours, but there’s only a slight difference in the color. It’s no big deal, really. Pink would look really nice on you, I’m sure.”
Link stopped him. “Pink?” he repeated, not admiring the idea, “There is no way I am going to wear a pink tunic, I–“
“If you want to rescue your little damsel-in-distress you will.”
Link then closed his mouth, and Fiddle smiled. “Good. That worked. Now, as I was saying…Yes, the pink tunic. You’re going to need that. Also, the Reflector Shield will be of very good use to you. It will reflect certain types of dream magic directed towards you. Lastly, you will need money to buy and collect these items!”
“What’s the currency here?”
“Why, it is the kumo, of course.”
Finding out all this strange information made Link more upset than happy. Figger-what-cha-ma-call-its? Indeed, this place sounded more like a land of fairy tales, even though it was so gloomy and depressing. And now, he would need to get money and buy some new things for this journey of his. It was only the first day of his adventure, and already he was finding out all this important info from this strange little Tomican. Link decided that he would let Fiddle follow him around for a little while, just in case it knew something else imperative…
But it did… Fiddle Diddle most certainly knew where the Dream Stone was.
Of course, there was a good chance that it was lying to him. Why should he trust that annoying Twiddledink? Why, he had just met him! Link chose that he would keep a close eye on Fiddle, just in case.
Link cleared his throat before speaking. “So, what do you think we should do now to get started?” he asked. “Well, we need to get you ready, most definitely!” Fiddle exclaimed, “We’ve got some kumos to look for!”
“And how do you suppose we do that?”
“I don’t know…I was sort of hoping that you would figure it out…”
Link pressed his lips together in aggravation. “You’re the one who lives here, for crying out loud!” Link yelled, “Why would you possibly consider that I would be able to find them?”
Fiddle shuddered, embarrassed and ashamed of his lack of wisdom at the moment. “I’m incredibly sorry,” it announced, tears swelling in its large, anomalous, orange eyes, “Please, forgive me. I did not know what I was thinking. My, you must think that I am some sort of fool. I don’t deserve to go on this adventure with you. Oh, I am such a pathetic waste of life!”
“I forgive you, damn it! Shut up!”
All Link wanted now was to rescue the princess on his own, but he knew that he couldn’t have his cake and eat it too. Fiddle Diddle knew things he didn’t know, and it would be useful in the long run. There was a glow in Fiddle’s eyes as it continued to stare at the features of Link’s face…and it only kept on staring. Link then gave the Twiddledink a funny look.
“What’s up your bum?”
Fiddle did not answer right away, but only squinted its eyes and looked even harder. Finally, it spoke. “Now that I look at you, actually…I know where we could get some help…”
“What?”
"The kayvajik Fuddle-Wuddle women…” Fiddle finished with an enormous grin. Link, on the other hand, didn’t know where the creature was going with all of this. “Who are kayvajiks?” Link asked.
“The ladies of the night.”
This made Link’s cheeks turn bright red the moment Fiddle responded. “And how are they supposed to help me?” he asked hastily. “Well, with their profession, you’ve got to admit that they make a lot of money. They also seem to be very emotional and sympathetic. If they see a handsome lad like yourself, telling your little sad story of why you are here, they are most likely to give you plenty of kumos!”
“Life doesn’t work like that, Fiddle.”
“Well…it does here, Link.”
Link sighed, and then shook his head sternly. “I am not going to hang out with a bunch of hookers and beg for money. You can do whatever you want, but leave me out of it. No way; no way! I’m staying right here.”
And then they stood by the whore house.
Link looked straight ahead at the lit lantern, its depiction. He could hear the disturbing noises that went on inside, trying to get rid of the images that were in his mind. “I can’t believe you brought me here,” Link said to Fiddle, who seemed to be quite calm and relaxed about the whole thing. It merely just shrugged Link’s comment off.
“I do not know what you’re problem is. I’m the one who’s going to do this for you, anyway,” Fiddle replied. Link just sighed. “I thought happiness was forbidden here,” he remarked, “…Wouldn’t this make some guy out there, er…happy?”
Fiddle shook its head. “It’s not really done based on happiness... No one is in love, and basically, no one cares. It is more like a business agreement. Those women Fuddle-Wuddles are probably not enjoying it, but they need to find some way to live.”
And then, the door opened. A partially dressed, petite woman with blue hair and a cat’s tail was there. “Who’s next?” she cried out, and then saw the two standing by, and smiled.
“Fiddle! Come here, you!”
Surprised, Link saw Fiddle walk towards the woman and even begin a friendly discussion with her. Fiddle made several gestures with its hands as it conversed, which seemed to make the woman more interested. For a few minutes, Link watched and waited. Fiddle’s mouth was going probably a thousand words per minute, and the lady seemed to be following everything it was saying.
It was out of nowhere when she reached inside the house and pulled out a small bag and handed it to Fiddle. Then, she closed the door and the Twiddledink ran frantically towards Link with the dumbest smile possibly known on its face.
“My, what a kind young lady!” it exclaimed, handing Link the jingly pouch, “She completely sympathized our situation of the lost wallet of yours!” Link narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?” he asked, “There is no lost wallet!”
“Right…”
Fiddle seemed to have a sarcastic, but also serious, look on its face. Link only sighed and shrugged. “Never mind,” he remarked, “Let’s just go get the damn stuff you were talking about.” Fiddle Diddle made an awkward face. “What stuff?” it asked.
“The stuff you said I’ll need before you tell me about that big secret of yours!”
Still, Fiddle was dumbfounded. “I see…” it began, but didn’t finish. Link grunted loudly. “Don’t play stupid with me!” he exclaimed, “Now, you are going to tell me where to find the shield and the tunic or you can go back to the little mud lake you came from!”
“Oh…” Fiddle replied, as if he just realized what Link was talking about, “Well, why didn’t you say so? You have to buy the Dreamer’s Tunic at the shop over there. Same goes for the shield. My, I hope you have enough. That little pouch of kumos there doesn’t look like much…”
“You’re the one who brought them to me!”
Fiddle jumped back and widened its eyes. “Jeez! You don’t have to be so crabby! You are very ungrateful, you know that?” Link only stared at the creature with annoyance lurking in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. There was no use saying anything to Fiddle, since it was a creature of confusion and exasperation. Instead, he rethought his statement and asked a different question. Link took a deep breath.
“Where is the shop?” Fiddle smiled. “Just look ahead,” was its simple reply. Link then looked from the small person to what was before him. He jumped back when he saw what was there. It was a shop, only a few yards away from him!
“That was not there a moment ago,” he commented, which was very much true. It seemed as if it appeared from out of nowhere. Fiddle’s smile turned to a large smirk. “Oh course!” it concluded, “It is the Shop of Wonders! Pretty amazing, huh?”
“Uh…yeah.”
“Good! Now, we must hurry!” And Fiddle’s fuzzy hand grabbed hold of Link’s and it began to ran hastily. Actually, it running was quite an amusing sight, since its legs were so short and its feet big. Link, though, was not laughing as they were in the shop the next moment.
However, once they entered, it didn’t seem to be as wondrous as Fiddle insisted it was. It was as dark and gloomy as it was outside. The male Fuddle-Wuddle at the desk seemed to be very quiet and petulant looking. Link gulped, wondering what he was getting himself into.
“Hello, kind sir!” Fiddle greeted the man loudly with cheer. Though, his expression didn’t change when he replied, “What do you what, punks?” That didn’t alter Fiddle’s ebullient mood. “This fellow here needs a couple of items! Would you mind helping us?”
“Spit it out.”
Before continuing, Fiddle cleared its throat. “Well, Link here has a damsel in distress and a lost wallet that he needs to save at the Land of Dreams. He’ll need the Dreamer’s tunic and Reflector Shield. Do you have any or both of those?”
“Yes. What size is this kid?”
Fiddle then carefully eyed Link. “Hmm…” it thought, “…He’s probably a slim medium…” Link rolled his eyes as the two proceeded to discuss his size in clothing. The final choice was a small, since men here in Tommunock were huge compared to male Hylians.
Link took a good look at the tunic before he paid. “Do…do you have this in anything than pink?” he asked, quite hopeful. But the man only shook his head. “Take it or leave it.” And without much of a choice, Link ‘took it.’ Then, he bought the shield. All together, that was one-hundred-fifty kumos, which left them completely broke with ten kumos left.
As they walked out of the ‘Shop of Wonders,’ Link made a face as he took another look at the tunic he was soon to wear. It was the same color as Zelda’s dress, except not as rich. He then looked from his purchase to Fiddle, who seemed rather pleased with itself.
“Are you ready to tell me now?” Link asked, and Fiddle only looked at him with dumbfounded eyes. “Whatever do you mean?” it asked. Link took a deep breath to try to calm himself. “About the Dream Stone,” Link informed, “You said you would tell me where it is once we got this stuff.”
Then, Fiddle nodded knowingly. “Oh, yes, yes! I remember now! The Dream Stone! Yes, I remember.”
“Good. Now you can tell me.”
“Yes! Now I can tell you!”
And as they walked, there was silence. Link pressed his lips together in frustration. “I’m waiting for you to tell me,” he hinted to Fiddle. The Twiddledink smiled. But, before it could say anything, it suddenly yelped out and tripped over something.
“OW!!! AH!!!!”
Link immediately stopped in his tracks to help the poor thing up. Though, he quickly let go of it when he saw something else on the ground that seemed to look interesting to him. It was a medium-sized pink rock. Link picked it up and observed it…and an idea entered his head.
“Say, Fiddle…what do you know about the Stone of Time…?”
Even now, Janicuss could still not stop laughing. She was such a clever little fox, of course. She had the little boy right where she wanted him. She watched his dreams here in Tommunock, and they all seemed to end so wonderful. He’d save the princess and they’d live happily ever after. Then, he’d wake up and know that it was all only make-believe. Poor little boy. Maybe she should mess with his dreams as well. But, she only shook her head at the idea.
Hopefully, if he knew what was good for him, he had brought the stone. Then, things would get interesting. She couldn’t wait until the climax of this adventure of his was reached, and she’d be able to have some real fun with him.
And the kid thought he has a chance at successfully saving his little princess. Ha! Too bad he doesn’t know how things are truly like in Tommunock. Too bad…
Who’s going to be the one to break the news to him…?
Janicuss grinned deviously. I guess I’ll be the kind one to inform him of data of such great importance.
Now her smile went from her left ear to her right ear as her mind filled with so many new ideas and schemes. Oh, how exciting! This was going to an exploit like any other! Perhaps she’d get more out of this than a little fun and the stone.
Just perhaps…
Fiddle Diddle was fast asleep the moment it closed its eyes. Link, on the other hand, found it rather hard to fall into sleep. They had stopped by a tree for rest (as Fiddle had put it), but the Twiddledink had ended up falling asleep. Link just sat there, leaning against a dying oak tree, holding Zelda’s headpiece in his hands and glaring at it.
A woman he loved with all his heart. It also reminded him of what tragedy and fear Zelda’s must be going through at this very moment. Her poor soul was being tortured because of a dream warrior’s greed.
Then, his mind wandered off to Impa and the baby back at the castle in Hyrule. He wondered how they were doing, especially Isabella. The child was too young and too sweet to having troubles at such an infantile age. Link lost both his parents when he was a small child, not even remembering them. His dying mother had left him as an infant with the Great Deku Tree in the Kokiri Forest. Up until he was ten years old, he thought he was a fellow Kokiri. He had then found out his true identity, a Hylian. A boy with a destiny as a hero; the Hero of Time.
He did not want Isabella to face the same pain and hardships he did while growing up. For years he meandered through Hyrule by his lonesome without parents or anyone to love and care for him. However, there was at least one person who had cared for him for so many years. It was Zelda, of course. She loved him despite his social status. He was a commoner and she was a princess, but that didn’t stop them from forming a love so great that no one could ever destroy it.
Though, it was trying to be shattered right now, by a jealous dream warrior that thinks she can always get what she wants. However, Link was determined to do what he came here to do: rescue Zelda and make sure Hyrule remains in peace.
Again, he looked at the headpiece made of gold and a ruby in its center. Link wiped the tears on his cheeks and decided to call it a night. He stuffed it back in his bag and lied down on the dead grass. Slowly, he closed his eyes. And soon, he was in the Land of Dreams, dreaming of wonderful, wonderful things! Too bad it was only a dream…
“WAKE UP!!!”
Link awoke with a total startle, almost having a heart attack. Of course, it was only Fiddle, acting like a complete moron again. The Twiddledink was parading around, singing a song about waking up to most likely try to wake Link up. Though, it was still dark, which Link wasn’t used to. So, he didn’t have to get his eyes adjusted to the light (because there wasn’t any) before he gave Fiddle an irritated glare.
“So, how did you sleep?” Fiddle asked happily and Link shrugged. “Alright, I guess,” he answered. Now, Fiddle was the one to shrug. “It’s so amazing how you do that movement with your shoulders! You Hylians of the east are quite incredible!” And now, Fiddle was shrugging his shoulders nonstop, like a crazed lunatic. Link grunted, holding himself back from kicking Fiddle as hard as he could.
“Do you think that there is some decent water around here?” Link asked Fiddle after a moment, whom beamed in response. “I was just going to mention that!” it exclaimed, “There is one spring here that has the cleanest waters left in all of Tommunock! I must show you!” Again, Fiddle grabbed link’s hand and led the way.
After dodging several trees and logs lying around, Fiddle finally brought Link to a small lake. It wasn’t much, but at least the water was clear instead of a brown color. Fiddle looked at Link and then at the lake. “So…what do you plan on doing?” it asked him.
“I would like to bathe, if you don’t mind.”
“Excellent! I want to bathe as well!”
Fiddle was about to take off its clothes when Link hastily stopped it. “Stop!” he yelled, “I do NOT want to see what an ‘it’ looks like!” With sadness in its big eyes, Fiddle sighed. “Very well then, you may bathe alone.” And Fiddle just stood there and looked at him.
“It would be nice if you leaved,” Link suggested. Fiddle’s eyes widened. “Why?” it asked. Link wrinkled his nose. “Just leave, damn it! Why do I have to explain myself to you? Maybe I don’t want you here because bathing is private and I don’t need your perverted little no-gender eyes staring at me!” After Link spoke, Fiddle was quiet. Then, with a sigh, it said, “Fine. I’ll leave.” And surprisingly, it did.
After Fiddle left, Link sighed a breath of relief. “Good riddance,” he mumbled to himself, and then pulled out the Dreamer’s Tunic from his bag. He laid it by the edge where the land and lake met, and then stripped. Link jumped into the waters, which were rather cold to be in. For a while, he closed his eyes and daydreamed of what been, what could have been, and what might be. It was considerably nice having this time with himself, without Fiddle bugging him with its naïve behavior.
Though…When he did open his eyes…
Three eyes stared back at him.
Link yelled so loud that every being in Tommunock probably heard his cry. This creature not only had three eyes, but was orange with wings. I was even stranger than Fiddle, which meant it was extremely bizarre. Link swam away as fast as he could, and the creature just shockingly stayed where it was. Link reached land and put his clothes back on (pink tunic, of course). Then, he ran to find Fiddle.
He found the Twiddledink dancing around in the forest. There was no time to be angry or upset now. He needed to get out of this place. When Fiddle saw the wet Link approaching it, it laughed. “Back so soon?” Fiddle commented.
“There’s something in that damn lake!” Link cried. Fiddle narrowed its eyes. “It didn’t…have three eyes, did it?” it asked.
“Yes!”
“Was it orange…with wings?”
“Of course! …How would you know that?”
Then, Fiddle broke out into many laughs. “Silly little Hylian!” it exclaimed, “That was no monster you saw! It was only a mere Figger-Wigger! Remember when I told you about them? They wouldn’t even harm a fly! Actually…it might be rather useful…”
Now, Link could see that Fiddle was planning something sneaky. But, before he could say anything, Fiddle opened its mouth. “Quick, show me where you found the Figger-Wigger!” With a sigh, Link ran off and Fiddle followed him.
Again, they were by the calm lake. Link and Fiddle looked around for the orange creature, but there was no sign of it this time. Fiddle exhaled deeply. “It’s too bad,” it remarked, “…it could have helped us get that crystal…”
Link’s eyes widened as he suddenly was very interested. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Well, I guess it’s about time I told you,” Fiddle began, “…that the Dream Stone is located in a certain trusted maiden’s castle…” Link paid full attention as Fiddle continued.
“This maiden is picked by every new dream warrior to keep watch of the crystal, and she guards it with her life. It’s in the Castle in the Sky, which in fact is in the sky. And the only way to get up there would be to get a ride from a flying Figger-Wigger. But, it seems that you scared this one off, Pinky. Now we’ll just have to keep trying.”
Link groaned as he listened to the news Fiddle brought to him. How unfortunate this was for him. If only he would have known what that orange thing in the lake was, perhaps he would have acted differently. But, he was, in fact, naked. He was definitely in an awkward position, you have to admit.
And Link looked at his reflection in the lake. “I look like a fruit, and I’m not talking about the kind you eat, either,” he commented; though, Fiddle didn’t get the joke. “I don’t understand, Link,” it replied, “What other kinds of fruits are there besides the ones you eat?” Link just shook his head.
“EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!”
The noise filled the entire forest, and even as he covered his ears, Link could still hear the ear-piercing shriek. Fiddle didn’t seem to mind it at all. “It’s here!” the Twiddledink exclaimed.
“Wha–“
Though, Link was cut short when he caught something large flying in the sky. Large and orange… He gasped, finally realizing what he was seeing. “A Figger-Wigger!” he proclaimed, and a large grin spread across his face as he saw the strange being land on the ground.
Its three eyes glared at the Hylian and Twiddledink, mouth agape and tongue dangling out. At once, Fiddle approached the Figger-Wigger as if they were the best of friends.
“Figgie! How have you been, Figster?”
Perhaps they did know each other after all.
“Hello, Fiddle Diddle! My, it has been such a long time!”
Link found it surprising that the Figger-Wigger, or Figgie, had such good speech and articulation. It was then when Fiddle took it upon itself to introduce Link to Figgie and vise versa. “Link, this is my long-time friend, Figgie,” Fiddle announced, “And Figgie, this is Link. He’s from Hyrule of the east. He has come to defeat Janicuss and save his true love from her evil clutches! Isn’t that so romantic…?”
All three of Figgie’s eyes blinked at different times, which seemed to give Link the creeps. The Figger-Wigger then smiled and greeted him. “Good day. I just saw you in the lake, didn’t I? I’m sorry if I frightened you.”
“Uh…That’s okay, really.”
“You came just in time!” Fiddle declared, “Because we really needed your assistance!” Figgie nodded. “Tell me what it is that you want of me, dear friend. I would be most delighted to help you in any way that there is possible.”
Fiddle cleared its throat. “Well, Janicuss has this here lover boy’s lady trapped in the Nightmare World. He wants to save her, but he needs the Dream Stone. And, you know where that is, right? Up in the Castle in the Sky. We need you to fly us up there so he can get a hold of it so he can enter into the Land of Dreams without having to deal firsthand with Janicuss.”
Again, Figgie nodded. “Very well then,” it agreed, “I shall help the young lad. It’s the least I can do.” Link smiled as they finally reached an agreement. “Thanks a lot,” Link said to Figgie, who smiled in return. “Don’t thank me,” it replied, “Just hop onto my back. We’ve got a long way to go from here.”
Fiddle was the first one to jump on. Link first made sure he had everything with him before he hesitantly joined them. “Are you both ready?” Figgie asked, rather excited. “Oh yes!!!” Fiddle exclaimed. Link couldn’t help but smile. “Of course,” he answered.
“Okay…Because we’re OFF!”
And with a sudden jolt on Figgie’s behalf, it flew up into the air: high up in the sky. As Link looked down from the distance, he could almost see all of Tommunock from his view. It wasn’t much of a sight, but it was somewhat interesting to look upon.
“WOW!!! THIS IS SO MAGNIFICENT!” Fiddle declared, speaking the loudest it had ever before. Link smiled at the ecstatic creature, who seemed to be enjoying this more than anyone else. He had to admit, it was overwhelming and quite congenial. Link had never flown on anything before…Well, he had; but not like this. This was unlike any other experience he had ever come across. The wind hitting his face was gratifying and the thrill of being up so high was tremendous and extraordinary.
In a matter of minutes, a building on a brilliant white cloud came into view. Actually, it was more than a building: it was a tall, gray castle. Link gazed at the amazing sight before him. This castle was much bigger than the one in Hyrule. However, it did appear to be more depressing in the way it looked, as if a sorceress lived there…
“Did I mention that the maiden that lives here is a sorceress?”
Deja vu.
Link gave Fiddle a strange look. “No, you didn’t,” he replied, “Does that change anything?” Fiddle was quiet. “Um…”
“Answer me, Fiddle!”
“Well…she uses her magic to create these creatures that might not be too fond of you, Link…” was its response. Link sighed. “And I guess I’m going in there alone, right?” he predicted, and Fiddle nodded its head. Again, Link heaved a sigh.
“What good are you for, anyway?”
“Well, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have even gotten this far in only two days!” Link knew that Fiddle did have a point there. It did give him plenty of information and helped him get to where he is now. “I’m sorry to interrupt your friendly conversation,” Figgie interjected, “But, we have arrived at the Castle in the Sky.” At that instant, Link looked up and his face beamed. There before him was the enormous castle, the castle that held the stone that would help him save Zelda.
Figgie landed on the cloud, and Fiddle and Link climbed off of it. They now faced the castle’s entrance, and Link took a deep breath before he went inside. He turned around and looked at Fiddle and Figgie, who gave him many thumbs up (since Figgie had ten arms).
“Go get them, Link! You can do it!” Fiddle cried hysterically, and Figgie nodded in agreement. “Yes, Link. We have faith in you.” Link frowned as he turned back around and started to head towards the entrance door. Of course, something just had to go wrong there, too.
The door was locked shut, and there was a riddle smudged on it. Link tried to read what it said. “Now that you’ve made it up above…Tell me what you base on love…?” However, that did not make sense. What you base on love… What kind of a question was that? A good example was Zelda…She was so beautiful and lovely. But is that why he loved her?
Yes, her hair was more dazzling than gold itself. Her eyes were like the morning sky in the spring of Hyrule. With full lips, the color of a pink rose. Zelda’s skin was the creamiest of peach he had ever seen; so smooth and soft. She was so delicate and fragile; he could hold her in his arms and fear breaking her. She was blessed with a exquisite voice that allowed her to sing the most beautiful songs with her vibrant voice. And yet, even if all those features were taken away from her, Link would still love her anyway.
Zelda was a good listener. She cared about everyone and anyone. She did not judge or criticize anyone (well, not to purposely hurt them, at least). Out of all the princes she could have chose to marry, she chose Link, an orphan meandering around Hyrule with no family left on the whole world. Except for the family he would make with Zelda: him, her, and Isabella (Impa would probably be added to the picture, too, obviously). He also couldn’t deny that Zelda was, indeed, a very humorous person.
Biting his lower lip, Link answered the riddle that was written on the door. “Love is not what you see, but it is what you feel on the inside.” That was a good one, he thought with a smirk as he watched a magical force overpower. This disengaged the locks on the doors. From a distance, he could hear Fiddle and Figgie (mostly Fiddle) rooting for him, knowing that he was able to successfully get the doors opened. With a proud smirk, but a nervous heart, he stepped foot inside.
And the moment he did, he wished he could step back out.
However, the doors instantaneously closed at once, and he was trapped inside the castle. Link gulped, concluding that he was going to have to get through this alone whether he liked it or not. He looked at his surroundings, which was not a very pleasant sight. Gruesome pictures were hung on the walls and skeleton bones laid all over the ground. Link sucked his lips in as he walked across the hall, dismayed and anxious all at the same time.
Everything was quiet. There was no noise, no music, and no one speaking. It was as if he was in a dark cave and nobody inhabited the area. Though, he knew that there was someone there, watching his every move. And he would have to find a way to get through and obtain the Dream Stone sufficiently.
Link stopped to take a look at some of the paintings. He felt disturbed as he looked at the images of murder, rape, and abuse that the canvases portrayed. This sorceress chick must be some kind of lunatic, Link thought to himself with an uneasy look on his face. Several times he stepped on human bones, cracking them into little pieces. He feared that, soon, those will be his bones on the ground like that.
“Hello…”
Out of panic, Link pulled out his sword. However, there was no one there. He thought he might have been hallucinating, but he greatly doubted it. Someone did talk to him, and he would not let his guard down at all.
“Hello…?”
This time, Link jumped up. He turned around in many different directions, but still did not see another soul in this part of the castle. How could this be? The voice sounded so real…Link the person was right there. It resembled that of a woman’s.
“Please, help me…”
Now it started to sound rather faded. Link continued to look for the woman, for she sounded like she was in distress. He began to run as he kept on hearing the voice calling out to him. It became louder and louder, until it felt as if she were right there screaming in his ear. Link stopped at a dead end, and could not believe what he saw. Please say my eyes are deceiving me.
Before him was a wall, but it was a mirror as well. Though, he did not see his own reflection, but that of a woman’s instead. He gasped at the sight of her banging on the other end, trapped within. Scared out of his mind, Link touched the glass, but it was as solid as can be.
“Have you come to help me?” she asked desperately. Link stared at the woman in purple leotards and pink hair. She glared at him back, her green eyes glistening with tears. Link hesitated to answer her question.
“How…how did you get there?” he managed to ask. “She trapped me in here! In the mirror!” she exclaimed, “Please, you must save me!” Still, it didn’t seem to completely answer Link’s question. “Who are you talking about?” he continued to question.
“The sorceress! Cibola!”
Link frowned, but didn’t give up. “How am I supposed to free you?” he asked.
“Get the Dream Stone! Please!”
Now, her black tail was waving to and fro. “I need to know where the stone is, ma’am,” Link continued, “Do you know?”
“It’s in her chambers! Now, hurry!”
With her last statement, Link ran off (even though he had no idea where her chambers were at). Now, he could hear strange noises lurking around. He could hear the sound of an organ playing in the background. The halls were filled with ominous laughs and threatening reverberations. Link’s heart was beating at a thousand beats per second as he aimlessly ran, hoping that he would find the right place by luck.
Needless to say, Link was never able to go anywhere without some sort of trouble arising. He found himself at another dead end. And not only that; he saw the bones on the floor begin to twitch. Sweat formed on his face as he saw the bones commence connecting to each other, creating full-figure skeletons. His eyebrows rose when they seemed to have a mind of their own, and began coming after him.
Without a break in-between, Link pulled out his sword. Then, he used a technique that seemed to have worked in the past: he closed his eyes and started swinging his sword as if his life depended on it (which it did). He had gotten so into it that, even after it seemed that they were all once again in tiny pieces, he still kept swinging. Link finally stopped after a moment and opened his eyes. Seeing that things were once again okay, for now, he began to run off again.
Well, that way wasn’t such a good idea, he thought to himself as he ran as fast as his legs could go, Maybe if I go left I would be able to find it... And so, he did. He took a left instead of a right. This led him to another hall of many, many doors. Each one had a number on it (1 through 10).
Link was about to proceed, but he was stopped when a blast of light approached him. This caused him to fall on the floor. Link covered his eyes as the figure came closer. When the light faded, he was able to notice another Twiddledink looking back at him.
“What the fu–“
“Welcome! I am the Twiddledink of the Castle in the Sky!” it announced, cutting Link off. Abruptly, Link stood as he watched the Twiddledink fix its bowtie. “Bobbie Robbie’s the name, and riddles are my game!” it concluded. Link frowned at the sight of the green creature.
“What the hell is this about?” Link asked Bobbie. It smiled at him. “Well, you have to answer my riddle, of course!” Bobbie told him, “Then, you can choose a door and enter!”
“Fine. Give it to me.”
Bobbie cleared its throat. “Okay. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” Link only stared at the Twiddledink blankly. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he commented, “What the hell is that suppose to mean?”
Bobbie sighed. “Never mind. I’ll give you another one. Alright…Why did the chicken cross the road?”
“…To get to the other side?”
“Yes! That’s right!” Bobbie cried, and then it began to dance around joyfully. Link, on the other hand, was not at all amused. “Okay, you could go flop around somewhere else. I really need to get through!” Instantly, The Twiddledink stopped and nodded its head in a silly manner. “Very well then,” it replied, “But, let me give you a little hint: the right door is an odd number between one through five, and it isn’t one or three! I hope you can figure it out!”
Link didn’t say anything. He just went to the fifth door and opened it.
It seemed to be a room of complete insanity (or something you’d see in an exorcist movie). There were chairs and table flying around in midair, and the walls kept changing colors every few seconds. The center of the ground was also spinning eccentrically. Link gulped and his eyes broadened at the peculiar sight. Did he enter into the correct room? He checked the number of the door again: number five. He sighed as he let go of the knob, and it instantly closed shut on its own. He tried to reopen it, but the handle wouldn’t budge.
It looked like he was now stuck in this chaotic room. Link could only stare at the wooden tables and seats soaring in the air, which did not have a reasonable explanation for it. He then tried to walk across without touching the center; but, unfortunately, he was not successful.
Now, he found himself spinning like a madman in the center, not being able to stop. Link started to get very dizzy as the floor continued to spin…and spin…and spin. Just before he lost his balance and consciousness, he drew his sword and stuck it in the center. Auspiciously, his plan worked. Link was able to stop the floor from whirling, but he also knew that it probably would not last for long, either.
Quickly, he ran away from the center, and then used his hook shot to retrieve his sword once more. Of course, this caused the floor to start rotating again. Though, Link didn’t have to worry about it now, since he was on the other side.
Link looked before him and saw two doors. The door on the left was turquoise, and it read ‘The Doorway.’ Then, Link looked at the other one, which was hot pink. This door read ‘The Other Doorway.’ He sighed as he thought carefully of which door he should open. The Doorway or the Other Doorway? This was so confusing and downright dumb!
And then, another idea came to mind.
With a smirk, Link opened both door at the same time. Isn’t that something? However, it wasn’t much of a big deal. Both doors led to the same area, it was just that one was on the left and the other was on the right. With a sigh, Link chose the left door.
It only brought him into another hallway. This was obviously getting him nowhere. Again, he began to run. Link didn’t know where he was going, and at this point, he really didn’t care. He prayed that his aimless wandering would lead him to where he needed to be.
Link decided to close his eyes and let fate choose where he would go next. However, that wasn’t such a great idea. He ended up bumping harshly against a wall, causing his nose to start bleeding. That didn’t stop Link from getting up and trying again. He left the blood alone as he looked around at his milieu. Now he was at a corner. There were two sides he could choose from. Left or right?
Link grunted as he tried to make a hasty, but wise, decision. Then, he remembered how the two doors had worked previously: they both led to the same place. Link took a deep breath as he made his risky choice of going left again. Thankfully, he didn’t reach a dead end. This time, there was only one door; a special door, in fact.
He gazed at the giant entrance to the unknown room. It was plated with gold and diamonds. It was very lovely, really. Link was dying with curiosity as he continued to gawk at the door, wondering what could be inside. Slowly, his hand went to the knob, and he turned it leisurely.
Opportunely, the handle turned, and the door opened all the way. Inside was complete blackness, and Link began to doubt whether or not he should enter. “Well, here goes nothing,” he whispered to himself as he chose to enter the dark room. The door closed behind him, and the only source of light was a blue glow from the middle of a table.
Of course!
Link ran as fast as he could to where the light was glistening. And there it was, the Dream Stone. He could not believe his eyes. Actually, he mostly couldn’t believe that he truly had made it this far. A smile formed on his lips as he began to reach over and grab the stone.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, little boy?!”
Link then stopped dead in his tracks. Suddenly, light filled the whole room. And there, from a very short distance, he saw a woman who did not seem to happy with him. Her hair was rich black and wild. Her eyes glowed an evil red; as well as the expression on her face being very cruel and filled with anger.
“Who…who are you?” was all that could come out of his mouth.
“I am Cibola. Sorceress of the Castle in the Sky. And who might you be?”
“I’m Link…” he answered hesitantly, but then regretted it. This Cibola chick looked fuming and enraged as she walked closer towards him. “And just what do you think you’re doing with my stone?” she demanded, “Are you some sort of thief, kid?”
“I’m sorry, but I really need this, ma’am,” he tried to convince her politely, hoping it would work. Of course his idea failed. Cibola only laughed slyly at his comment. “Oh, is that so?” she asked, “Perhaps you don’t know who I am, little boy. I own this castle and my powers are of one of the greatest in all of Tommunock. I am not going to be persuaded by some pretty boy who thinks he’s so cunning.”
Link didn’t say anything. What was he supposed to say? Instead, he only looked at Cibola with an uneasy expression. She laughed at him. “This isn’t for that silly little trollop I trapped in that mirror, is it?” she asked, “I put her there for a reason, and I intend for her to stay there.”
Now Cibola was about a foot away from Link, and she began to slowly circle him. “Hmm…Not bad…” she remarked, “You’d be a pleasant addition to my castle…” Finally, Link managed to speak.
“Excuse me?”
“Though, you’ll need to change out of that ridiculous tunic.”
“Wait a minute! I cannot stay here,” Link argued, “I just need this stone and I’ll be on my way now.” Again, he reached for it, but Cibola stopped him. Now, she seemed more outraged than before. “What do you think you are doing, little boy? Nobody says no to Cibola!”
Now, her voice roared, and the room began to shake, which indeed make Link panic. Cibola flew into the air, her red tail waving frantically. “Fine, I’ll give you the stone…” she compromised, “…if you think you can get it from me!”
“Evil spirits of the north,
What I ask, you shall bring forth!
Magic of the south merge
And listen to your mighty serge!”
Then, a large orb formed in her hands, and she aimed it towards Link’s head. He gulped, taking out his shield to block the attack. Though, when it hit the shield, it didn’t reflect back the way it should have. It caused him to fall to the ground, bumping his head against the wall harshly.
Link placed the tips of his fingers at the back of his head, and he could feel the blood touch his skin. Though, he had no time for pain now. Biting his lips, he stood and pulled out his sword once again. “I’m ready for whatever you plan on bringing to me, wench!” he cried out, and a chuckle emerged from Cibola’s mouth. “You are such an amusing child!” she exclaimed, “I hate that in a man!”
“Essences of the north and south,
Listen to the words of my mouth:
Give me powers to proceed
So I may providently succeed!”
Another orb formed in her hands, but this one was even bigger than before. She raised it above her head (looking like a madwoman), laughing uncontrollably with her hair blowing up against her face.
“Uh oh…”
“Do you have any last words before you die, little boy?!” she yelled amidst her madcap hysterics. Link sighed, figuring this was the end for him. But then, his frown turned to a quick smile as he thought of something that might allow him to live through this.
“Why, yes. Actually, I do,” he answered with simplicity. Cibola gave him a suspicious and bemused look. “Oh, and what would that be?” she asked him sternly.
“Sorry, it looks like you’re out of time.”
Cibola gasped, suddenly realizing what trick Link had played on her. The orb had gotten too big, and 1…2…3…
BOOM!
The explosion was incredible. Link could hear Cibola scream her last shriek of her life. The detonation was so vast that it caused Link to fly back harshly. However, that didn’t stop him. The whole room was on fire, and the Dream Stone still laid on the table in the center.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Link ran and grabbed the stone, and then he scurried out of the ablaze, smoldering room. However, the fire followed him out of there. Link ran as fast as he could to reach the mirror where the young Fuddle-Wuddle maiden had been trapped inside.
Now, the whole castle was beginning to burst into flames, and Link knew he was running out of time. He continued to dash, hoping that he would remember where the large mirror was so he could free the girl and the both of them could escape from the castle.
However, when he reached the ten door puzzle area, Bobbie Robbie unexpectedly appeared as if from nowhere. It smiled and began to dance in front of him. “Congratulations!” It exclaimed, “How does it feel to have possession of the mighty Dream Stone?”
“Get the hell out of my way!”
At that moment, Link didn’t care if he was being rude to the poor Twiddledink. The castle was on fire, and he needed to get out alive. From a distance, Link could hear even Bobbie exclaim that the castle was going to burn down, and soon the Twiddledink began to run alongside him as well.
Now, here he was: Trying to save a woman trapped in a mirror with another annoying, bizarre partner. But, Link tried not to think about that. He didn’t have time. Someone was in danger and he had to save her.
Finally, Link made it to the final hallway, where the dead-end mirror had been. From afar, he could see the image of the pink-haired woman waiting desperately for her freedom. Now, the blazes were only a few yards behind him and Bobbie, which made Link more determined than ever to free the lady and get the hell out of there.
When he at long last reached the mirror, the woman seemed to beam with joy. “You found the stone!” she cried happily, “Now, please! Free me!” Without knowing exactly what he was doing, Link took the stone and placed it against the mirror. Then, there was a blue flash of light, and the maiden slipped her whole body through. Instantly, she gave Link a tremendous hug.
“You wonderful man! You saved me!”
“Miss, there’s no time for this now. The castle’s on fire!”
Right away, she pulled away from him. “What?!” she yelled, and then scowled, “You’re burning down the castle?!” Though, Link didn’t respond, but only took her hand and started to run again. Of course, Bobbie followed.
“Hey, do you want to hear a good fire joke?”
“Shut up!”
And it did. Faster and faster they ran, trying to ditch the flames that were headed their way. At last, they made it towards the entrance, but trouble rose there as well. A large piece of the castle’s ceiling fell to the ground, blazing with furious flames. The maiden screamed as Bobbie began to run around in circles frantically, yelling for help.
Link didn’t know what he should do. It seemed quite obvious that they were trapped there to die, with no way out. He was going to let Fiddle and Figgie down; he was going to let the maiden and Bobbie down; he was going to disappoint Impa and the whole kingdom of Hyrule…But, most importantly, he was going to disgruntle Zelda.
And he could never do that.
Without thinking rationally, Link glared at the fuming flames. “Both of you, take my hand!” he cried out, and they looked at him as if he were insane. Seeing that they were still, Link yelled at them again. “Come on! You can trust me!” And nervously, they listen to him. Each one grabbed his hand, and he began to run towards the exit.
With a strong leap, he jumped over the fires, barely touching them, and now faced the way out. Without any hesitation, he continued to run with Bobbie and the Fuddle-Wuddle as they found their way out of the castle and running as far away as they could from it.
From afar, they watched the last of the Castle in the Sky burn down into ashes.
For a while, there was complete silence. No one could speak as the last of the sky charred into nothing. Of course, the solitude wa
- Chapter 1: Prelude
- Chapter 2: Part One: The Illusion
- Chapter 3: Part Two: The Vision
- Chapter 4: Part Three: The Castle in the Sky
- Chapter 5: Part Four: The Hallucination
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