The Twilight Princess 2: The Time Forgotten

Three

Everything remained still and quiet for a moment. A cool breeze flowed through, catching bristles of nearby plants along with it. The ground felt grassy and moist, yet the air felt cold and bitter. Aria turned on her side, slowly regaining her thoughts. She lifted open her eyes, only to see a patch of yellow and pink flowers right below a bushy tree. She scanned the area around her, searching for any buildings. But there were none in sight. Just miles and miles of open field.

Aria put her hands on the ground, using her arms to pull herself up. The sky above her was cloudy, yet the grass was the brightest shade of green she had ever seen. She stood up, and dusted grass off her jeans. "Hello?" She called loudly, seeing if anybody was around. No answer.

Aria sighed, and studied her surroundings. Nothing but land. She started walking for a while, hoping to find some sign of the location of the mysterious emerald. A few steps turned into several. About an hour later, she was still walking through an open field. Starting to lose hope, she turned around.

"Hey! What are you doin' all the way out here Redhead?" A voice called. Aria looked behind her. Standing just a few feet away was a young boy about her age, dressed in a dusty brown pea coat with slacks and a cap of the same color. He had tousled blonde hair and bright blue eyes. On his feet he wore scuffed up tied shoes. "This is our land!" He shouted.

Aria looked down at her feet. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm lost. Do you happen to know where town is?" The boy squinted at her. "You one of 'em town folk?"

Aria gulped. "Um...yes?"

"Hmm..." The boy was quiet for a moment. "Hold on a sec." He started running towards a small house peeked away in the corner. He reappeared a few moments later, and gestured Aria to follow him. After she came closer, he started walking again. "Sorry about that. You see, my family come from country roots, and I am expected to act as one of them would."

Aria remained quiet. When they reached the house, the boy told her to come in. "They'll be able to tell you the location of town." He opened up the front door for her, and she stepped through. "So, what's like living in the city?"

"Well, it's...quite nice. There is a lot of stuff to do." She nodded to make it seem more believable. The boy studied her deep green jacket with roll-up sleeves and her coral T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Aria suddenly realized how out of place she looked in this new time zone. "Uh...it's a new style I'm trying out. It's all the rage in the city." She forced a fake laugh in an attempt to ease up the tension.

The boy seemed puzzled for a second, but then moved on. "Mom!" He called. "We have a lost guest!"

"A lost guest?" A woman with a thick southern accent called back. "Why, whatever do yer mean?"

"It be one of 'em city folk."

A woman with tan, wrinkled skin and a messy brunette ponytail came running downstairs. She wore a frilly dress with an apron over it. "Where are they?" Her head bobbed all around like a hungry fish searching desperately for food in the deep blue sea. "Roger, get down here!" The boy tried to calm her down. "Everything's alright, Mom. She's just looking for directions." Aria nodded. "This is—"

"—Aria," she said for him. "I'm Aria. Nice to meet you, ma'am." She reached out to shake the woman's hand, but the woman did not return the favor. "Why, last time I thought town was back that way," the woman snapped, pointing to the back of the house. In her hands she held a sweater that appeared to have been just knitted by her. "I don't appreciate rich folk comin' here tah gloat." She walked off, frustrated. The boy sighed deeply. "I'm so sorry about her." Then his eyes lit up. "Maybe Papa can help."

Sure enough, the young boy's father knew exactly what to say. He gave the directions that Aria was hoping for. "Thank you, sir," she said. "I really appreciate it."