The Song of Time
By GreatAngemon
Summer
"Link," Zelda moaned, smiling at him. "Where are you taking me?"
"Do you always have to know what's going on?" Link asked, tugging on her hand. "Look, it's a surprise, but I'm pretty sure that you'll like it."
Zelda just shook her head at him and sighed. "Why won't you just tell me where we're going?" she asked, trying to pull out of his grip.
"Do you not get the point of a surprise?" Link asked. He let go of her hand and pointed to the top of the hill that they were climbing. "There, that's the surprise."
Looking at him in confusion, Zelda asked, "A tree?" Indeed, at the top of the hill was a lone oak tree, with leaves that shaded the ground beneath it from the sun. "I fail to see the significance of a single tree."
"It isn't the tree," Link said amusedly, "The tree is just there. The place where the tree is, that is the surprise."
Zelda glanced at him, and sighed. "Explain."
"Haven't you ever heard it?" Link asked, walking backwards and looking at her.
"Heard what?"
"The song of time," Link said simply.
"Everyone's heard the Song of Time," Zelda said, looking at him as he sat underneath the tree.
"Not the Song of time," Link said, "The song of time."
Zelda just stared at him. "You've never just sat still and listed to time?" Link asked disbelievingly.
Zelda shook her head and said, "What are you talking about? What do you mean the song of time?"
Link smiled at her, and pulled her so she was sitting next to him on the ground, leaning against the tree. "Just sit down and do what I tell you.
Zelda nodded. "Good, now close your eyes and just listen to everything," Link said, doing the same thing. Zelda glanced at him, and then leaned back and closed her eyes.
"Alright, now what?" she asked after a few moments of silence.
"I thought I said you need to listen to everything," Link said, sounding content.
"But I don't hear anything," Zelda whined. "What do you hear?"
Link opened his eyes for a moment to look at her and smiled. "I hear a song of joy and sorrow. Time tells us everything that is going on around us. It's celebrating all the people being born, and mourning all of the people who died. It's singing about how all things are peaceful, and dancing to its own music."
Zelda looked at him, and shook her head. "You are a very weird person, Link," she said, standing up.
"I'm not the one who doesn't hear time," Link retorted, standing as well. Then, looking at his watch, he said, "It's getting kind of late, I should be getting home. Want me to walk with you?"
Zelda nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good," she said.
Link leaned in towards her ear, and whispered, "Don't worry Zelda, if you keep listening, then you'll be able to hear it too."
Zelda shivered at his closeness. "Yeah, I'm so sure," she muttered when he moved away from her.
Autumn
"Link," Zelda shouted, sliding off of the couch and chasing after him. "Come back here!"
"No," Link shouted back, laughing as he ran though the kitchen, and out the back door. "If I do that you'll rip off my arms and beat me with them!"
"You've got that right," Zelda growled at him, glaring at him from around the tree. "Get over here, or I'll hurt you even worse!"
"But I only woke you up from a nap," Link shouted at her, vaulting over the fence into her neighbors yard. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your dreaming about me!"
"You are so conceited, you jerk," Zelda yelled, "What makes you think I was dreaming about you?"
"It might be the fact that when I walked in, you whispered my name," Link said, finally stopping. "If you're going to kill me, go ahead."
Zelda stopped running just short of crashing into him. "I'm not going to kill you, Link," she muttered, out of breath. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to know if you wanted to get something to eat," Link said, walking back towards Zelda's house.
"I suppose so," Zelda said.
"Good, because I already have the food in the car," Link sighed, relieved. "So, what were you dreaming about?"
"That's none of your business," Zelda said, blushing a light shade of pink. When they got into Link's car, she asked, "So, why aren't we just eating at my house?"
"Because, I have somewhere better in mind," Link said coyly. "Now, just listen to the music and be quiet." He turned up the radio and Zelda fell silent as she watched the town disappear.
"Link," she said slowly a little while later, as they pulled up to the hill they had hiked a few months previously, "What are we doing here?"
"I thought we could eat, and then you could try to and listen to the song of time again," Link said, shrugging. He pulled a paper bag out of the back seat and then opened her door. "Come on. You still like Italian, right?"
Zelda sighed as she stepped out of the car. "Yeah, I do," she said. "Why are you so intent on me listening to this, 'song of time'? And why do we have to do it here and not at home?"
"This place is special," Link said simply.
After waiting for a moment for him to continue, Zelda said, "What do you mean special?"
"When you're here, it becomes easier to hear the song of time," Link said. "When I was little, I came here with my grandpa all the time and he taught me to listen to time, just like I'm trying to teach you."
Zelda smiled at him, and said, "That's a nice story. Are you entirely sure you and he aren't insane?"
Her question, though sarcastic, had an immediate and negative effect on Link. "Of course I'm sure," he said coldly. "Look, if you want, I'll drive you home right now and stop bothering you with this."
"Link, I'm sorry," Zelda said hurriedly, trying to sound sincere. "Look, I'll stop being so sarcastic about this, and I'll try and hear it."
This seemed to cheer Link up considerably. At the very least, he stopped glaring at her. "Alright, what do I have to do?" Zelda questioned, leaning against the tree.
"Just like last time," Link said, "Just close your eyes, and listen. If you do it enough, you'll be able to hear it like I do."
Zelda giggled, but attempted to muffle the sound with her hand. "Alright," she whispered, "I'll try."
After waiting a moment, she said, "Link, I think I can hear something." It was true.
In the distance she could hear a sort of whistling. "That's good, Zelda," Link said, smiling at her. "You're taking your first step into a larger world."
"Link, can we go home now?" Zelda asked after they had been sitting there for a few more minutes, "I'm kind of tired."
"Sure, I guess so," Link shrugged, standing and pulling Zelda to her feet. "Come on, or you're walking." Then, he started sprinting to his car, leaving Zelda to sigh and chase after him.
Winter
"Link, don't you dare throw that at me," Zelda said warningly. "If you throw that at me, I swear I'l-" she was cut off when Link's snowball hit her face.
"That was so funny," Link said, doubling over in laughter as Zelda fell to the ground. "You should have seen your face."
"I am going to KILL YOU!" Zelda screamed at him, standing and grabbing a fistful of snow. She crumpled it up and threw it at him. He ducked quickly and stuck his tongue out at her.
"Nah-nah, you missed," he said, still laughing. Just then, a ball of snow slammed into his eye. "Ow, that hurt."
Zelda stood up, scowling at him, and stomped off towards the house.
"Come on Zel," Link said, hurrying up to grab her hand, "Don't be mad at me, I was only playing with you." He tried pulling her back into the snow, but she tripped over one of his feet, knocking him over.
"Um, Link," Zelda said, pushing on his chest. Just then she realized just how close she was to Link. "I'm so sorry," she said, trying to push herself off of him, but he laughed and pulled her back.
"Its fine, Zelda," he whispered, standing while holding her close to him.
"Link, let me go," she said, and she was surprised to find herself whispering. In a stronger voice, she repeated, "Let me go."
"No, I don't think I will," Link said, but he pulled his arms from around her waist. Zelda felt suddenly colder without the warmth from Link's body. "Come on, Zelda, let's go."
He pulled her towards his car, and Zelda hopped into the warm cab. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see," Link said mysteriously, winking.
"Why are we here again?" Zelda queried a few minutes later, looking at the top of the hill to the oak tree.
"You should know the answer to that by now," Link said, pushing her up the hill. "Now, be quiet and listen."
They sat down under the branches of the tree. "I don't suppose you can hear anything, can you?" Link asked after a moment.
"Yeah, I do," Zelda whispered back. This time it was more than a faint whistle. She could hear a beat this time too, like a drum was playing. And the whistling was more distinct, like an ocarina or a flute was being heard. "I can't believe it, but I do."
"Good for you," Link said, ruffling her hair fondly, and smiling. "I say we stay here tonight, what do you think?"
Zelda gaped at him before saying, "We have school tomorrow, and I don't have clothes, I didn't ask my parents… And its winter," she added as an afterthought, nearly shouting it.
Link laughed as he replied, "I asked both of our parents before I got to your house, and school is out tomorrow for some teacher conference. Plus," he said, reaching out for her hand and guiding her back to his car, "I got you some clothes while you were asleep, and we can sleep in my car."
Zelda stared at him as he smiled, and she shook her head. "Alright, we can stay… wait, were you going through my clothes?"
Link blushed at that as he said, "Well, you were asleep and I knew you'd say yes, and I wanted it to be a surprise so…" he trailed off, opening her door for her. When he climbed in the other side, he said quietly, "I'm sorry."
"Its fine," Zelda said, squeezing his hand reassuringly. He smiled at her, and looked at the clock.
"Let's get some sleep," he said, and Zelda nodded. She leaned the passenger seat back all the way, and saw Link do the same in the driver's seat. She reached out for his hand and gripped it until she drifted off to sleep.
SPRING
"Do you want to?" Link said, his voice sounding distant to Zelda. She shook her head to clear her mind, and she grinned sheepishly at him.
"I missed it," she said, trying to get rid of the mental image of Link stretching from her mind. "Would you mind repeating the question?"
Link smiled at her, and said, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the hill?"
Zelda nodded her head vigorously, smiling. She stood up and helped pull Link to his feet, saying, "Hurry up, let's go."
Link just laughed and nodded, giving her a little push towards his car.
"So, do you hear anything this time?" Link asked after they had sat down beneath the tree.
"Yeah, I do," Zelda whispered. "This time, I hear the flute, and the drum, but now they sound like they're supposed to be together, and it's so much smoother than before."
"Congrats Zel," Link said quietly, smiling at her, "You can finally hear the song of time." Then he did something completely unexpected.
He leaned over to Zelda and gave her a light kiss.
10 Years Later
Zelda's POV
"Link," my voice rang out through the house, "Where are you?"
"In here Zel," he shouted out of our bedroom, "Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering," I say as I wander in to see him on the computer. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," he says, closing the window and stretching. Then, as he sits next to me on the bed, he says, "So, what do you want to do today?"
I put my hand on my chin in thought, and then a thought occurred to me. "Do you know where we haven't been in eight years?"
Link shook his head. "Then let me ask you this; Do you hear it?"
Link raised an eyebrow. "Hear what?"
"The song of time," I say simply.
Link just smiled at me, and said, "That sounds pretty good to me."
Then we went out to the car and drove to the place that had grown to be my favorite place in the world. Where Link had told me he loved me, and where I had married him.
And where I realized, on that beautiful spring day when he had first kissed me, I loved him too.
I know I said I was going to put Swan Song up first, but I started writing this while I was using the poll. In case you haven't watched Star Wars, there was a quote in the autumn part.
Episode IV: A New Hope, Ben was proud of Luke, because he said he could almost see the remote. (You have to see it for it to make sense.)