The Oracle of Earth Ch 3

"The world is a fragile place Link. It is constantly hanging on the brink of self-destruction. A few souls are called with the task of insuring that does not happen. A few souls are chosen to allow the rest to live their lives in peace. You and I, are two such souls."

-The words of the Great Final Sage Kaepora Gaebora .

Chapter 3: Dark times loom

The Temple of Din, it is such a beautiful place. Perfectly cared for grounds, massive stone walls and towers. The whole area is holy ground, seemingly untouchable, unchangeable.

Onox looked upon it, "Look at it, my beloved Din." He held up the unconscious woman, "It is a symbol of what keeps you imprisoned." Onox laughed, "No longer!" A horrible glow surrounded the two, "Leave this world, accursed temple!" The light flowed out, spreading around the Temple of Din. "Begone!" The earth shaked, and there was terror and death. Onox laughed, "See, my beloved Din? No more will you be tormented!"

The Temple of Din was no more, instead there was a cold palace. "Our new home." Onox said, giggling in his madness.

It began to snow.

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Shadow gritted his teeth as tears continued to flow. Why did it hurt so much? Link's rejection tore through him. "Damn you." he hissed, "Damn you for living. Damn you for making me exist." Shadow stood up, "Damn you to Hell!" he screamed, punching a tree. Cracks formed over the tree, and with a loud crash it fell.

"Goddesses...you're ticked off." A familiar voice said, Maple lowered herself down from the sky.

"Oh, hello." Shadow said bitterly, "What brings you here?"

Maple shrugged, "I was flying around, and I saw you doing your best bare-handed imitation of a cursing lumberjack." She smirked, walking over to him, "What's wrong?"

Shadow sighed, "It's nothing."

Maple shook her head, "That's a lie and you know it."

"Leave me alone." Shadow growled.

"No." Maple said, giving Shadow a very irritating grin.

"Leave me alone damn it!" Shadow screamed.

"Make me." Maple said, continuing to grin.

Shadow glared at her, clenching his fists. For a moment there was nothing but the tense silence between the two. Then, Shadow sighed, slumping slightly.

"Good boy." Maple said softly, "Now, tell me what's wrong."

"Why do you care?" Shadow snapped.

"Because," Maple said, as if she was talking to a child, "I think you could be an interesting person to know. So, I'm going to be a little bit concerned about you when both times I've seen you you've have some problem." She smiled, "Lets be friends, OK? We can start by you telling me about your problems."

Shadow looked at Maple, "You're not going to give up, are you?" Maple shook her head no. "Fine, I'll tell you." He groaned, "There is someone...he's kind of like family. Well, I've done some horrible things to him, but now I'm trying to make up for it." Shadow could feel more tears coming down, "And...he hates me, and he won't even think about forgiving me, or even giving me a chance!" Shadow looked down at the ground as he cried quietly.

Maple stood next to Shadow, "Hey, don't worry about it." She said quietly, "Why bother worrying about what other people think? Just try to make things up, and if some guy refuses to forgive you...well is he really worth the trouble?"

Shadow looked up at Maple, "I don't know if you're right." He sighed.

"How old are you?" Maple asked.

Shadow looked up, "What?" he asked.

"How old are you?" Maple asked, smirking.

"Well, tell me your age then." Shadow replied.

"Hey, I asked first!"

"Tell me your age, and I'll tell you mine." Shadow chuckled.

Maple rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'm fourteen. Happy now?"

Shadow nodded, still grinning slightly.

"Now tell me how old you are!" Maple demanded.

Shadow tried not to laugh, "Fine, I am One year, three months, one week, and six days old."

Maple stared at Shadow, "You're lying." She said matter of factly.

"That's all you're getting out of me." Shadow said in sing-song.

"Ooohhh you!" Maple said, "Fine, whatever you say. In that case I'm actually thirty-nine."

"You've aged well." Shadow said teasingly.

Maple laughed, "Well, I need to go, if you want to help me out...feel free!" Maple laughed, hopping back onto her broom. "I'll keep within your sight, OK?"

"Sure thing Maple." Shadow said, he found himself feeling a lot better.

Wait, had he just found...a friend?

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Link kicked a rock, he had left the hospital. Though now he felt more depressed then he had in a long time. "How can she be so trusting?" he asked himself, "How can she even think about it after what he did?" Link just couldn't understand Saria sometimes.

A chilling wind blew, causing Link to wrap his arms around himself and shiver slightly, "Geez, it's getting cold, great, just what I need." Link let out a depressed sigh.

Looking around, Link noticed that he had reached the edge of the village. Now small farms dotted the area, and Link could see a small rocky area ahead. It really didn't matter though, Link just kept on moving forward, still in a state of depression.

He finally stopped when he realized that he was freezing. It seemed to be getting really cold, really fast. "Geez...what's with the weather?" Clouds were beginning to gather, a storm was coming. Link knew that with as cold as things were, he would likely catch hypothermia if it started raining. "Great..." Something caught the Kokiri's eye, though. It was a cave, hidden amongst the rocks. "It's better then nothing..." Link knew that it would be better to wait out the storm in there then to go back to the village and risk being caught in it.

That and he really didn't want to deal with Saria yet.

It was simple to slip into the hole in the side of the rocks. The hole, while small, was easy to squeeze through. "Heh, in a few more years I won't fit." That was still a somewhat strange concept, the thought that in a few

Years he'd be bigger. The process was happening far to fast for him. Being raised as a Kokiri, who measure age in decades, the fact that in ten years he'd be so different was actually kind of disturbing.

Link looked down the cavern, it looked pretty deep. Willing to do anything for a distraction, he held out his hands. "Brilliant forces, I as of you. Bring sight to me! Light Orb!" A white ball of light formed in Link's hands, it quickly moved to hovering over his head. "I'll never bother lighting torches again." Link muttered, embarrassed on how much trouble he had put himself through in dark areas, all because he never bothered to learn that simple spell.

"Wow, this goes pretty deep." Link couldn't see the end of the tunnel. So, naturally, he started moving deeper underground.

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Saria picked up the Gilded Sword, "Alright Makan, come on out." she said.

A slight shimmer appeared in the air, and a moment later Makan entered Saria's sight. "Miss Saria, I'm glad to see you're healthy after that ugly incident."

"Hello Makan." Saria said quietly.

"Are you alight Miss Saria?" Makan asked, concern in his voice.

"I'm fine, just listen," Saria shook her head, "Listen, can you tell me if you know anything about what's going on?"
Makan looked worried, "I'm afraid I have an idea...but you won't like it."

"Well, what is it?" Saria asked, "How are we supposed to fix it if we don't know?"

Makan pressed his hand against the wall, "The woman who was captured, I believe she is the Oracle of Earth. There are three Oracles. The Oracle of Earth, the Oracle of Time, and the Oracle of Life. The Oracles are not normal humans, they are Avatars of the Three Goddesses themselves, the Three in mortal form."

"So...Diran...she's the Avatar of Din?" Saria asked, "Doesn't that mean that she has all of Din's power?" Saria's eyes widened, "But...if that guy has her hostage..."

"Then Onox has the power of Din under his command." Makan said sadly. "The Goddess of Shadow, Fire, Earth, the Moon....and Death." Makan shuddered, "I can feel it."

"Feel what?" Saria asked.

Makan glanced out into the distance, "The Oracles only come if the world is weak, and the Sages can no longer sustain it by themselves. The Oracles add their power to the Sages. Once the world is strong enough, the Goddesses leave, and the Avatars die. It is the final failsafe to preserving the planet. But now Din has been pulled away. Without her, Fire and Shadow will weaken. The Sheikah and Gorons will grow sick and weak, before losing what makes them unique. The Earth will literally tear itself apart. There will be earthquakes, storms, until all that Din created is consumed by Chaos, before fading into the Void. Then, the rest of the world will collapse on itself." Makan shuddered again, "What happened to weaken the world so much?"

"A madman got his hands on the Triforce of Power, for seven years he ravaged the land. Finally, he was defeated, and time was turned back to undo the damage he did." Saria said sadly, "So this is another legacy of Ganondorf..." Saria sighed, "Will his memory ever stop haunting us?" She looked at Makan, "So what can we do to stop this? Do we have to find Onox and take the Oracle away from him?"

Makan rubbed his head in thought, "I doubt it will be that easy, odds are Onox, even with only being able of access a fraction of Din's power, already has some formable defenses up. I'm afraid...I don't know what we can do."

Saria looked down at the ground..."I...no...that can't be true..."

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What had once been a small tunnel suddenly spread out into a vast cave once Link reached a specific point.

The cave contained what looked like the remains of some kind of building. The whole thing was made of the strange stone that the Temples were made from. This meant that it was in rather good shape, despite the fact that it probably hadn't been maintained for thousands of years. It didn't look like a shrine or anything like that though, more like some kind of fortress. "Odd..."

Entering was simple, seeing as the door had been knocked down at some point. Link noticed scribbles on the walls, it was childish graffiti. "So this is a place where kids come to deface?" Link began to doubt that anything of value was left in the building. However, he was quickly proved wrong when he entered it, and found out what the building was.

It was an armory, shelves were filled to the brim with weapons of all kinds. Link grinned, this was just what he needed. He grabbed a nice looking sword, and pulled. It didn't come off the rack. "What the crap?" Link pulled harder, nothing. "Damn it, move!" Link tugged with all his strength.

The whole weapons rack fell on him.

"Ow..." Link pushed the shelf off his body, "They haven't even budged!" It looked like the ages had sealed the weaponry in place, making them useless. "Damn it all." Link checked each and every rack, all of them were ruined. "Well, this was a grand old waste of time!" Link noticed a small door at the end. "Perhaps this will take me somewhere..." Link entered the room, the small area was richly decorated. "A small shrine, cute." Whispering a prayer, Link looked around, it seemed to be dedicated to Din. The centerpiece of the shrine was a sword on a pedestal. An elegant scabbard covered the blade. The sword had a gold hilt with a large ruby imbedded in the pommel. It was a beautiful weapon.

Link picked up the sword, "Well, let's see if this works." He grabbed the hilt, and pulled. The blade slid out easily, proving it to be as finely made as the hilt. "Nice, I like." Link grinned.

Suddenly the ruby in the pommel flashed, and the whole sword began glowing. For a moment, the whole thing was too bright to look at. But the sword dimmed, until only the ruby remained giving off a faint glow. "Weird..." Link put away the sword, instantly the ruby stopped glowing.

"Well, I have a sword now." Link attached the scabbard to his back, "Maybe I should go back out now." Link turned around and walked back to the surface.

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She looked around, everything was so cold. Though it didn't matter to her much, she knew that others would be affected badly. "What's going on?" she asked, as she flew through the battle ground, "Somebody really trashed the place." The remains of a carnival littered the area outside the small village. But it was clear that this was not just a battle of brawn. The currents showed that a lot of Mana had been used in the area recently, so it was lower then the surrounding parts. She had seen very few people who could cast magic the way that must have been done. Peering around, she continued to explore. "What the?" Something cold hit her head. It was a snowflake, in early Fall.

She had a bad feeling about all of this.

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Saria sat down in the hospital lobby, it was snowing now. The whole area was quickly becoming white outside. "Snow...Link loves snow." Saria sighed sadly, "Things are falling apart, now what?"

"Don't worry..." Kalo said, "I'm sure that we'll find something." He hovered in front of Saria's face, "Things have been bad before, and they've gotten better."

Saria didn't say anything, she just looked at her hand. There was the birthday present Link had given her, the beautiful ring sparkled in the light. It was strange, how cheerful a day could start out as. Her birthday party seemed so far away now, the heavy feeling that had fallen was threatening to suffocate her. It all was to much for the normally optimistic girl.

"Saria?" Kalo asked, "I feel something familiar outside, something is affecting the currents drastically."

"Fine...go look." Saria said bitterly, "I'll just stay here." She then just stared at her feet.

"Saria..." Kalo sighed, "It's all to much for you, isn't it?"

"Are you going or not?" Saria asked, not bothering to look up.

A hurt look crossed Kalo's face, "I'll be back soon." He flew away, heading outside.

Something familiar was out there, he wanted to know what it was.

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Link had reached the surface, now, looking around at the outdoors, he spoke.

"What the bloody hell?"

The whole village was covered in a blanket of white, it looked like winter. "This can't be normal..." Link shivered as he entered the slow, yet his back felt warm. "Huh?" Link pulled out his new sword, it was pulsing, the red glow warming his entire body. "Convenient," Link took a step forward, and it started to flash slightly, "What's this?" Link continued to move, the sword continued to react. "It's like a tracking beacon..." The sword was leading Link somewhere, and the Hero of Time felt a strange compulsion to go along with it.

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Huh? she looked up, some was approaching her, she could detect it on the currents. Panicking, she hid under some dead plants. Please don't let me be noticed...

A fairy flew over her. Kalo! What is he doing here? He was looking around, trying to find...her!

No... She couldn't get caught, she quickly forced the currents to pass over her, but the painful measure came to late. Kalo noticed her, he flew down to the plants. He caught sight of her, and his eyes widened, "N-"

"Powers of Spirit, grant me strength, cloud this being's mind, make them forget! Memory Block!" She hurled her hands forward, the spell struck Kalo. Instantly his eyes became clouded, a dazed look formed on his face. Kalo hit the ground with a soft thud. He would wake up in about five minutes.

"I'm sorry Kalo, but I can't let anybody know I'm here. Though I wonder what you're doing here anyway...shouldn't you be with Saria?" Closing her eyes, she felt the Forest Sage on the currents...

As well as the Hero of Time.

"No....I gotta get out of here!" She took off as fast as she could move.

Fear of the one she hurt so much gave her speed.

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Saria wished that she was back in the Lost Woods, she should have never demanded to go with Link. Now she was lost, and she had learned that the world would soon end. "Stupid boy..." she whispered, glaring at the ring, "You're so stubborn and stupid that you can't see when someone is sorry." The hurt look on Shadows face had torn through Saria. She had never seen him like that, she couldn't stay mad at him when it was as plain as day that he wanted to make up for his mistakes. "Stupid Link, If I was more like you I would have been killed a long time ago, odds are by the rest of the Kokiri."

An old woman sat down next to her. Saria couldn't help but notice, something about the elderly woman stood out. Maybe it was because Saria had almost never seen a truly old person. Or maybe it was just something about her.

"Is something wrong, dearie?" The old lady said in a gentle voice, "You look hurt."

Saria stared at the old woman, "I'm perfectly healthy." she said, some small part of her protesting her rudeness.

The old woman laughed, apparently she took no offence. "Dear, I don't mean a injury of the body. I mean one of the heart."

Saria was shocked out of her stupor for a moment, "How did you know?"

"Well, you look angry about something. You're focusing on that ring on your finger. Oh, also the fact that you're muttering about a 'stupid boy.'" The old woman winked, "That was the biggest clue."

Saria couldn't help but smile, "Well...OK, I'm just mad at my..." Saria paused, what could she call Link? Lover? Companion? Soulmate? "...boyfriend."

"Dear, you're awfully young for a boyfriend." The old woman said, slightly amused, "You sure he's not just a close friend, who's also a boy?"

Saria blushed as she thought of the things Link had done with her. (She blushed even more when she thought of the things that Link had suggested they do.) "No...I'm pretty sure it's boyfriend." Saria nodded, "Besides, I'm older then I look."

The old woman got a slight look of displeasure, yet it quickly vanished. "Well Sweetie, I'll believe you then." She looked out the window, "Oh, is that the boy? He looks quite dashing."

Saria noticed that Link could be seen outside. He looked like he was following some kind of trail, judging by the way he was moving. "Oh...yeah...that's him." Saria felt a strange mixture of sadness, anger, and guilt.

"Ah...well Love, I suggest you go out and talk to him for a while." The old woman suggested

Saria found herself listening to the old woman, "I...think I will." Saria said quietly, "I need to talk to him..." She slowly walked outside.

The old woman smiled, "That's it Dearest, fulfill your purpose." She cackled quietly, fading from sight.

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"Link."

Saria was standing behind him. She quietly stood in the snow, a slight breeze ruffling her clothing. A few snowflakes fell around her, on the whole she projected a solemn feeling.

Link stared at the girl who suddenly seemed so unfamiliar to him. Yet at the same time it was still the same girl he had known all his life. For the first time he noticed how much Saria had changed. Her hair was longer then it had once been, she wasn't even wearing Kokiri clothing any more. Her face seemed softer, and her whole body had grown more curved. When Link looked at Saria, he no longer saw an eternal child. Instead, he saw a young woman, one who showed more wisdom then he could ever hope to possess. Saria was changing.

She was growing up.

Saria tilted her head to the side, "Is something wrong?" she asked, "Did you forget how to talk, or something?" There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Hello Saria." Link finally managed to choke out. Why did this girl have to have this effect on him...at all the wrong moments?

Saria didn't move from her spot, yet her eyes glanced downwards, "I see you got a new sword." she commented.

"Oh, um, err, yeah." Link had forgotten about the glowing sword, "It's kind of nice, you can see how it glows, right? Well, it's also pretty warm. Um, you look like you might be cold..."

Saria walked over to him, "Thank you Link, ohh, this is warm" Smiling slightly, she stood very close. "I feel much better now."

Link looked at her, he finally managed to bring up the courage to say something, "Saria I-"

"Shh." Saria placed a finger on Link's lips, "Don't worry about it. I can't stay mad at you forever," a impish smile formed, "I mean, who will make my food? Yes, you're going to be the chef. You're the best darn cook in the forest, and I'm going to milk it for all it's worth."

Link blushed, "Saria...why? Why did you forgive him so easily?"

Saria sighed, "I'm just that type of person Link." She looked out into the distance, "I saw his face, it was the first time I truly saw it. He looked so sad...your words hurt him more then anything else." Saria turned back to Link, "Please, give him a chance, for my sake. Everybody deserves a second chance. The Goddesses tell us to forgive those who repent, do they not?"

Link couldn't bear to look at her anymore, "Saria...you're a better person then I." He said quietly, "I just can't trust him."

"Do you trust me?" Saria asked, Link didn't say or do anything. "Look at me Link. Do you trust me?"

Link turned back to her, "Of course, Saria, you are the smartest person I know."

"I trust him, so trust in my judgment." Saria said softly.

Tears flowed from Link's eyes, "Alright Saria, I'll trust you." He sobbed.

"Thank you." Saria gave him a bright and shining smile. "So, where are you going exactly?"

Link wiped the tears from his eyes, "I can't feel any magic...but I'm sure this sword is leading me somewhere."

"Oh really?" Saria grinned, "Well then, can I follow you?"

Link smiled for the first time in hours, "Sure, I'll lead the way, fine with you?"

"Go forth, Great Hero." Saria giggled, and the two began walking. Saria's hand wrapped around Link's.

The snow stopped.

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Kalo groaned, the events of the past twenty minutes or so were very hazy. He looked around, he was back in the place where Link and Onox had fought. "Why can't I..." Kalo examined himself, "Someone blurred my memory!" Someone had cast magic that had confused his mind, keeping it from accessing the resent memories. To do that to a fairy...it took a lot of power. Plus the spell looked pretty solid. It could take weeks for Kalo to unravel it. And by that time the memories might be gone, overwritten by the mind that didn't know they were really there. "Great..." Kalo set his body so that the currents would start wearing away the spell. It wasn't as precise as personal attention, but it would do until he had time to actually work on it.

Kalo then took off, he needed to get back to Saria.

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A small patch of forest proved to be the destination that the sword was leading Link to. Inside the small spot of trees, there was a wall, with a gate. The whole thing was made of more of the strange stone.

"How much of this is there?" Link asked, running his hand over the perfectly smooth surface. "I wonder how they made this stuff..."

Saria shrugged, "From what I've read in the Forest Temple; it's called Plesken. The secret to making it isn't detailed though. But it's supposed to be very durable and resistant to magic."

"Well, whatever it is, the sword is really reacting to it." The blade now appeared to be made of nothing be pulsing, red light.

"Saria! There you are!" Kalo popped up, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Hey Kalo, we're just looking around." Link said casually, "So you have any idea what this could be for?"

Kalo looked around the wall, "Well, there's writing on the gate. It's in a language I don't understand though."

"Let me see." Saria said, and the three moved over to the writing, "It's in...Old Kokiri?"

Link stared at the writings, "You're right...hey Kalo, wouldn't you know Old Kokiri?"

"Unlike you two, ancient lore isn't my hobby." Kalo said dryly.

"Well, it says that we need a key to enter." Link translated the letters, "What sort of key though..."

"What I want to know is why there were Kokiri here to carve the letters in." Saria said.

"Maybe the Lost Woods used to cover this area." Kalo suggested.

"No...I can't detect the faintest traces of Forest Mana in the stone." Saria said, "There's a lot of Shadow and Fire Mana though."
Link paused, "The sword..." he held up the red blade, for a moment, the sword stopped glowing. The, the red light suddenly extended from the sword to surround the whole gate. A pillar of light formed around the three, and they were all blinded.

When the light faded, the gate was open.

"Wow Link...I'm impressed." Kalo said, "So that sword is the key?"

"It makes sense," Saria added, "It guided us here, it probably wants us to see whatever's inside."

"Come on..." Link stepped through the gate.

It instantly felt like a warm spring day. "Whoa!" Link exclaimed, "Climate control...nice." The area was pristine, green grass, beautiful flowers, all sorts of fruits and vegetables grew. In the center of it all, was something that threw the Kokiri off.

It was a tree. But no ordinary tree, this tree was huge. They had only seen one tree that could compare, and that was the Deku Tree in it's full glory.

"By Din, Nayru, and Farore..." Kalo whispered, "That's no ordinary tree...it's a god."

"A Tree God?" Saria asked, "There's more then one?" The three slowly approached. Making sure to stay respectful, they then heard a sound that made them almost collapse.

-Zzzzz....- The Tree God was asleep.

"What the...heck?" Link asked, (Cursing in front of a god is rather bad form, you know.) "He's sleeping? Gods sleep?"

"News to me." Saria said.

-Zzzzzz...huh? Wha? Who's there? Visitors? Haven't had one in three thousand years!- The god sounded tired, weak. And now that Link had gotten a better look, the giant tree did appear to be in rather poor health.

"Um...hello, Great Tree God." Saria said respectfully.

-Huh? Hey, Kokiri! How's old Deku doing?-

Link and Saria stared at each other for a moment, "Um...he's fine..." Saria said slowly, "And...you are?"

The tree laughed, but it quickly turned into a wheezing sound, -I see I am not well known. Well, that's to be expected. Anyway, I am the Maku Tree, the Guardian of the Earth, planted by Din when the world began.-

"The Guardian of the Earth..." Link said, "And Din, the Goddess of the Earth, planted you." Link shook his head, "It makes sense, in some ways."

-Yes, my brother, The Deku Tree, is the Guardian of Life. That is why he resides in the Forest of Life's Beginning.- The Maku tree yawned, -Yet, I feel weak. Something is wrong, the planet cries out in pain.-

Saria looked at the Maku Tree, "Great Maku Tree...The Oracle of Earth was captured. She is a madman's prisoner."
For a moment, there was silence.

-What?- The Maku Tree screamed, -That's catastrophic! No wonder the Earth is weakening.-

"Maku Tree." Kalo said, "Is there anything that was set up in case of such an emergency?"

"Yeah, if there's one thing I've learned in my life," Link said, "is that the Goddesses have backup plans for everything."

The Maku Tree turned his attention to Link, -Just who are you people, anyway? The Noble Sword has apparently decided that you both needed to see me.-

"Can't you tell on your own?" Kalo asked.

-Fairy child, I am weak. I can barely keep awake to talk to you three. Please, tell me.-

"I am the Forest Sage." Saria said, "Link here is the Hero of Time."

-Ah...a Kokiri who's the Hero of Time? That is strange...- The Maku Tree was starting to sound less and less awake. -The Noble Sword will guide you...I must sleep now. I will contact you once I gain some more strength...- The Maku Tree fell asleep once more.

"The Noble Sword?" Kalo flew up, "Wait! What do you mean by that? What are we supposed to do?"

"Kalo...I think this is the Noble Sword." Link held up the sword he had been carrying, it was now flashing again. It was clear that it had a new destination to take them to.

"Let him sleep." Saria admonished, "We'll come back when he contacts us.

"Come on, let's get Makan, then we'll find whatever this Noble Sword wants us to." Link said, "Why do I have a feeling that we'll be collecting some Artifacts of Power?"

"What makes you think that?" Kalo asked.

"Past experience." Link said dryly.

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"By the way...who are you looking for anyway?" Shadow asked.

Maple, who after the tenth crash (in ten minutes) had decided to walk for a while, looked at him, "What brings this up?"

"Curiosity." Shadow said, "Well?"

Maple laughed, "You're probably going to think this is silly. But I'm finding two people my Grandmother saw in a dream. Of course, my granny happens to be a Seer, so we listen to her dreams. So I'm stuck looking for a warrior boy with a green hat, and a green haired girl with a golden sword."

Shadow froze in his tracks.

"Shady?" Maple asked, using the new nickname she had come up with, "You OK?"

"They're in Horon Village..." Shadow said quietly, "Go fly...I'll catch up."

"Huh?" Maple was confused, what was this boy talking about?

"I know two people who fit the description, they are in Horon Village. If you fly you can get there much faster." Shadow said matter of factly.

"Um...OK...but I'll come back if I don't find them..." Maple said quickly, before taking off on her broom. (And hitting a few branches.)

Shadow sighed, "Well Destiny...you're a bitch, you know that?"