MC: This may be the first in universe story I've finished and posted. This is set after the end of A Link Between Worlds and involves my favorite of the mini-games, octoball derby. Much to my surprise, this means that I ended up writing a sports story, which I am not even remotely qualified to do. I apologize to the sport of baseball as a whole because I am certain I did a great disservice to it by basing octoball derby on it. Turning the pitcher into a cephalopod alters the sport only oh so much.
DISCLAIMER: All characters, places, and the sport of octoball derby belong to Nintendo.
Play Ball!
"Come on, Link, we're late enough already!" Zelda shouted as she dragged him along by the sleeve. "I don't want us to be disqualified!"
"But I don't understand what we're supposed to be doing," Link said. He was more focused on not tripping and being dragged the rest of the way than where they were actually going.
"We're beating Hilda's team!" Zelda said as she shoved him through a crack in the wall.
While he hadn't known the princess before all the trouble Yugo began, Link privately believed Zelda had become more forceful after meeting her Lorule counterpart. She was constantly leaping into competition after competition with Hilda, though never to the determent of her land or people… except for Link, of course. Perhaps Zelda had always been a firecracker, but before Hilda Link had never heard of the princess physically dragging people across Hyrule.
Link winced as he hit purple grass. Seriously, would it have killed Zelda to let him cross into Lorule under his own power? He had made the journey more often than anyone else and he was confident he could make it now without assistance.
Zelda didn't allow him to regain his footing before she was urging him onward again. This time she had him by the ear instead of the sleeve. Link already regretted complaining about her former death grip. This was more painful. At least she had stopped telling him to hurry up. Instead she seemed focused on dragging him as fast as she could. He just wished she'd pause long enough for him to get back on his feet. They had been faster when she wasn't lugging him. His stumbling crawl only kept her from ripping off his ear.
Suddenly Zelda stopped. Link's hero instincts kicked in and he was immediately on his feet with the nice fire rod drawn.
"Oh, good job, Link," Zelda said. "I'm glad you brought a bat."
"Huh?" Link said. He looked around. Familiar faces surrounded him. He could name most of the ones near him, they were all Hyrule inhabitants, but the ones near Hilda were just faces from his journey through Lorule. Link had found people just didn't introduce themselves on quests. "What are we doing?"
"Playing octoball derby," said a boy in a cap that covered his eyes. Link recognized him as the boy who ran the derbyball field in Lorule where Link had previously played octoball derby.
"But isn't that just breaking pots with balls shot out of an octorok?"
"Naw, what you've done before is just batting practice," Derby Boy said. "For a real game of octoball derby you need two teams of eight and an octorok to act as pitcher."
"Ideally there'd be two octoroks so that each team would have its own pitcher, but since you couldn't find one we agreed to share ours," said the girl who was always hanging around Derby Boy.
"That's very kind of you," Zelda said. She said that in her clipped polite tone, which Link knew meant she was actually rather annoyed. "Has the umpire arrived yet?"
"There's an old codger sitting over there," Derby Boy said as he jerked his thumb toward what Link had initially thought was a pile of rags. "He didn't say who he was and then promptly fell asleep after sitting down over there. Is he your fellow?"
"Sahasrahla is already asleep?" Zelda sighed. "Will someone go wake him?"
Hilda walked over to the bundle of rags and gently shook him. When there was no response she shook him harder. The elder did not wake until the Lorule princess was almost throttling him. With a snort he stood up, smiled at Hilda, and bowed.
"It is good to see you, Princess Zelda," he greeted Hilda.
Hilda turned and looked at Zelda, eyebrows raised. "Is this the best you could find?"
"He is the only impartial judge I could find who had also read the rulebook for octoball derby," Zelda said. "You did not exactly leave me with a lot of time to spare."
"The same wager as usual?"
"If we must."
"Excellent."
The respective rulers shook hands. Link wanted to see what Hilda did next, but Zelda pulled him into a huddle with the rest of their team. Everyone looked a lot more serious than they ought to considering the fact they were only about to play a silly game. Build comradery between kingdoms and all that. Link decided to lighten the mood.
"This is going to be fun, right?" he said. "Spark a little good spirited rivalry between light and dark, Hyrule and Lorule, I mean." Zelda shot him a look.
"We need to win this," she said.
"I know you've gotten more competitive, but this is still just a game."
"It's not just a game," she said. "Do you remember our wish in the Sacred Realm?"
Link grinned and nodded. They had wished for the restoration of Lorule's Triforce and fixed everything. That was the best part of their adventure. To Link that made the rest of his adventure and all the suffering he had to go through worth it.
"Do you remember how our Triforce broke apart and flew away after our wish?"
Link nodded again. It was one of the clearest memories in his life. If he really thought about it he could still feel the magic gently vibrating against his fingertips from when he touched the sacred object. That was a moment of spiritual awakening for him, only rivaled by when he first raised the Master Sword above his head. He would die before he forgot what it was like to have the Triforce sparkle as it granted his wish and blast away in a fit of holy wind rivaling a gale storm.
"When our Triforce left us it didn't repair Lorule's Triforce because a Triforce isn't powerful enough to create another Triforce. Only the goddesses can do that. While it could have repaired Lorule's Triforce as we wished, there had to be bits and pieces of it left for restoration. Hilda's ancestors completely obliterated it. So the Triforce did the next best thing to granting our wish. It flew to Lorule and we've been sharing the Triforce ever since."
"But that's okay, right?" Link asked. "Lorule is improving and Hyrule is still just dandy."
"It should be fine," Zelda agreed. "The Triforce is more than powerful enough to make both lands prosperous, but Hilda has been up to her old tricks. Why do you think I've become so competitive? It's because she keeps demanding competitions to determine ownership of the Triforce! If we ever lag too far behind she'll take the Triforce away for good."
"Why don't we just stop playing?"
"War. She'll launch a war between the worlds and that is the last thing I want."
"So we play instead."
"Yes. We need to win this one because we're falling behind in the final tally."
"How can I help?"
"I have a very important job for you," Zelda said with her signature smile. "I need you to play right field."
"Okay," Link said. "How do I do that?"
"Oh Din, we're boned," Irene said as she slapped her forehead. Zelda just shot her a glare.
Link soon found himself standing in a field some distance behind Osfala, who was something called a first basemen. Link's job was simple enough, just hang out in this area and catch any balls before they hit the ground. After he had the ball he was supposed to toss it to Osfala, or else Zelda if he thought he could reach her. Though the second option wasn't likely as she was the furthest away. Link wasn't certain why his princess had chosen to squat right by the fellow on the opposite team who had the bat. It seemed like she'd get hit there. Wasn't having Sahasrahla there enough?
As much as Link worried he knew his main duty was to wait in this field for a ball. So he stood and waited. It was peaceful. He had time to enjoy the sun and look at the individual blades of grass. He could watch the bees crawling along the flowers, sticking their heads in as far as they could go and emerging covered in sticky pollen. Birds happily sang their tweets and chirps. While Link stood in the field fiddling with the glove Gulley shoved at him he had to admit this was a nice way to spend a morning.
Link's head whipped up when he heard someone call his name. It was Zelda and she was motioning for him to come back to the group. After a short jog he had rejoined the others.
"That went well," he said brightly.
"No it didn't," snapped Irene. She was clutching a small shard of ice to the area just above her right eyebrow.
"They got six runs on us," Rosso explained. "Irene only managed that third out because Ravio accidently hit the ball into her face and she had the force of mind to catch it before it fell to the ground."
"They're a bunch of cheaters!" Gulley said bitterly. "That octorok is only giving them easy pitches."
"Now, now, we knew going in that the cards were stacked against us," Zelda said.
"So how are we supposed to win?" Irene asked. "I can't believe you entered a hopeless game."
"We'll have to out play them," Zelda said. "We did a decent job in this first inning, all things considered. Now please just try your best and out hit them."
"But princess, I've never hit a ball before," said the Cucco Girl.
"I'm well aware that you and Seres haven't played outside of practice," Zelda said. "Just remember your training and try really hard. Now let's play ball!"
Zelda accepted Link's nice fire rod and walked up to the plate. Derby Boy crouched behind her the same way she had for the other team. After the octorok's first pitch Link had a much better understanding of what he was doing. While no one had done this when Link previously batted, Derby Boy was there to catch the octorok's balls if Zelda didn't hit them.
Link frowned at the second throw. Something didn't seem right to him. While he hadn't been watching the game that closely he had seen a few of the pitches for the other team and he had certainly experienced enough himself while rescuing Lorule. Link had swung at some fast pitches in the past, especially if he accidently hit the octorok, but this was on another level. The ball was practically a blur to Link as it flew by and he had training to see fast motions. He was also farther away, which gave him more perspective. He couldn't imagine what it must be like up close and personal for Zelda, who hadn't dealt with this before. This seemed especially unfair, as the octorok hadn't pitched like this to the Lorule team.
Zelda didn't even bother to swing at the third pitch. With all the grace and dignity befitting a princess Zelda walked back to the bench and primly took a seat next to Link at the end. If she then went on to quietly ask the goddesses for their mercy, well, it wasn't Link's place to say. He did bump his knee against hers and whisper that things would go differently the next time she was up to bat. His assurances made Zelda smile.
Osfala also struck out at bat. Then it was Irene's turn. She looked positively livid what with the way the game had been going and the vicious goose egg forming under her eyebrow. Even the octorok looked a bit intimidated as Irene stared him down. Unlike all of Link's previous experiences with octoball derby Irene didn't swing her bat. Instead she held her bat out over the plate seemingly waiting for the octorok to fire straight at the bat. On the second pitch the ball and bat connected, sending the sphere bouncing off toward third base. Irene took off running.
"That was a good bunt," Zelda said.
"A bunt?" Link asked. His head filled with images of the cakes Gulley's mother made. Zelda sensed his confusion.
"That's the move she just did," Zelda said. "Bunting is a way to make certain that the ball is killed right away so that someone would have to pick up the ball hit her with it to get her out. See, Hilda couldn't catch that ball at second base and automatically get her out. So she'll need to hit Irene with it or else pass it to their Blacksmith before Irene reaches first base. Does that make sense?"
"I guess."
"Irene stopped at first base, but she'll have to run to second after the next batter hits the ball and go onto third after that. Depending on how things go she might steal third."
"I don't know what that means."
"Don't worry about it, Link," Zelda laughed. "Just make certain that if you get a hit you run to first base there." She pointed at the square Irene stood on. "And then run to second and third after pitches are thrown so that you aren't hit with a ball. Stay on base until after the pitch is thrown. After you reach third base you want to run back to home, which is where we start out."
"So I'm supposed to touch first, second, and third base before running home?"
"Yes," Zelda said nodding. She paused then asked, "How do you not know the rules to derbyball? The only difference between this and that game, which I know is popular back home, and this is that you have to use an octorok for a pitcher."
Link shrugged. "I usually fall asleep when Gulley drags me to sport things." Zelda gave him a look Link did not even remotely understand.
Rosso was up to bat. With a single mighty swing he sent the ball flying past the tree line that bordered the back of the park. Irene had taken off running the moment the octorok spat the ball. She kept running until she made it back to home, but Rosso just walked through the bases. Link figured he didn't bother running because he couldn't be tagged out.
"Basically, you hit the ball like Rosso or Irene, preferably Rosso, and run to first. If you hear us, your team, telling you to keep going you run to the next base, otherwise you stop at the base you just reached. Then you run as soon as the next pitch is thrown. Okay?"
"I think I can manage that," Link said, nodding. "And I still catch the ball and throw it back to you?"
Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but Gulley's cry of discontent sounded instead. He had been struck out. With that the teams switched places.
This time when he was in the outfield Link paid attention. The octorok was definitely favoring the other team, giving them easy hit after easy hit. Sahasrahla had fallen asleep again and hadn't noticed. That made Link angry. Cheating was always wrong. While Hyrule couldn't do a thing about any homeruns, they had tightened their focus and stepped up their game. The moment Link was most proud of his team was when the Cucco Girl in center field caught the ball without it bouncing and threw it to Osfala, who got a second person out. That got them back in the infield. Lorule only scored two points in the second inning.
Cucco Girl and Seres both struck out during their turns. As Link got up from the bench to walk up to bat there was a long sigh out of Gulley. Irene had already launched into a conversation with Osfala about batters for the third inning. Link got the sense they didn't expect much out of him. He glanced back at Zelda and she gave him an encouraging nod. She was the only one focused on him. With a small nod to himself Link decided to make Zelda proud.
He had faced this octorok before. Link knew the cephalopod's regular tricks and the octorok knew Link could hit his balls. The octorok spat out one of his faster balls, but it wasn't fast enough. With a resounding crack Link smacked the ball out of the park over right field.
There was silence as Link gently set down the nice fire rod. Then his team burst into cheers as he jogged around the bases. Irene gave him a tight hug and Rosso almost knocked him over with a slap on the back.
"How did you manage to do that?" Irene asked. "Was that a fluke or are you secretly good at octoball derby?"
"It's gotta be a fluke, a wonderful fluke," Gulley laughed. "Link's terrible at sports and I mean there's a reason Zelda has him playing right field."
"What's wrong with right field?" Link asked. Zelda had specifically entrusted him with that important task.
"It's where they stick the no talent players," Osfala said. "No one ever hits to right field, so it's not a problem if the player can't hit or catch or throw."
"That's why they have a ghost playing right field for Lorule," Gulley laughed. "It's just for the body count. I guess they also had a hard time scrounging up enough players."
Link's smile faded. He had been wrong. It wasn't that his teammates didn't have a lot of faith in him; it was that they had no faith. For some reason this news caused an ache in Link's chest that was worse than all the times he had been frozen, electrocuted, or set aflame on his adventure.
"Great job, Link," Zelda said as she passed him. "I'll try to keep things going." If she had said that to him five minutes earlier it would have let him beaming. Now Link could barely manage a smile.
They earned two more points before the inning ended. Everyone seemed confident that they could catch up. The innings continued with Hyrule closing the gap with Lorule. Link and Rosso quickly became Hyrule's clean up hitters. Irene didn't have their power, but she made full use of Dampe's inability to pick things up and often angled her shots through him. Hilda cried foul, but Zelda pointed out that it was just as legitimate as the Devilish Girl flying up into the air to catch balls. When the princesses both appealed to Sahasrahla on the other team's misconduct he was unwilling to deny either team's plays, as that would have been 'favoritism.' Link just thought he was scared of both of the princesses. That was when the game got dirty.
The octorok lost any pretense of fair play and began lobbying the easiest balls he could muster at Lorule and intentionally threw extreme fastballs just out of 'bounds' and calling it in, which Sahasrahla did not refute because he could not see the difference. Lorule threw the balls far harder than called for at players and even gave Gulley a concussion at the end of the sixth inning. Hyrule seemed just as willing to sink to Lorule's level. Link had enough.
The next chance Link had at bat was in the seventh inning. He knew that after the debacle the sixth inning had been he wanted to make a statement that would catch the attention of everyone on both sides. He wanted people to step up their game and play better, play fair, and respect both teammates and opponents. In Link's opinion both teams were guilty of poor sportsmanship. He just wished he knew what statement he could make.
As he picked up the nice fire rod to start the second half of the seventh inning Link could feel everyone's eyes on him. For once he had their full attention. Good. The octorok stared at him warily. The monster was sweating and panting slightly, which made sense as he had pitched every ball for both teams in the last six and a half innings. Normally Link would feel bad for him. Then again, normally the octorok would be treating both teams the same. Link took his batting stance.
The octorok spat out his fastest ball straight at Link's head. This wasn't even remotely proper pitcher behavior and Link's instincts kicked into gear. He stepped out of the way and smacked the ball as hard as he could. It flew back at the octorok hitting him right between the eyes. This caused the octorok to automatically spit out another fastball. Link knocked it out of the park.
"Foul!" cried Derby Boy. "He hit the pitcher!"
"He was aiming for my head," Link said. "More importantly, I'm not the first player on our side he's aimed for, while he keeps giving you guys easy balls. It's unfair."
"You tell 'em, Link!" Irene yelled.
"And none of you guys are any better!" Link shouted at the bench. "You guys are resorting to the same dirty tricks they are and you should trust me! I'm your teammate and you don't have a lick of faith in me!
"These are serious charges, young man," Sahasrahla said.
Link continued his rant as if he hadn't heard the umpire. After all, Sahasrahla hadn't done anything in the game. "I mean, why did you guys even ask me to play this stupid game in the first place?"
"Because Oren is too sick to play," Zelda said softly. She stepped forward and touched the top of the nice fire rod. "If we had been playing derbyball you would have been on my original roster, but octoball derby uses less players and I've been relying on you so much already. You were our anchor in the footrace, and the cucco gliding contest, and the gladiatorial combat at the Treacherous Tower."
"That was a fun event," the Devilish Girl laughed.
"Frankly, I can't believe I haven't worn you out or broken you from overuse," Zelda said. "Please believe me, Link, when I say I have the utmost faith in you. Time and again you have proven yourself able to persevere and achieve your goals despite insurmountable obstacles. You have done the impossible and you have always exceeded my expectations. That's saying something considering how high they are concerning you." She smiled ruefully.
"Then why didn't you want me to play octoball derby?" Link asked. He pointed at Seres and the Cucco Girl. "Those two have never played either and at least I'd had batting practice, but they made the team no problem."
"But they were available and knew how to play. You said it yourself earlier, you haven't ever watched game of derbyball, octo or otherwise. Also, I didn't know about the batting practice."
"This is all very touching, but Link should be ejected from the game," Hilda said. "He hit the pitcher."
"The pitcher was pitching out of bounds. If we had an umpire who could see and hadn't spent half the game asleep this octorok would have been ejected for extreme favoritism before the end of the third inning," Zelda said evenly.
"That is a cruel thing to say Princess Hilda," Sahasrahla said.
"The facts are that he didn't catch the ball, even if it hit him, and he then pitched a second time, which Link turned into a homerun. The hit stands."
"No it doesn't," Hilda snapped.
"If Link's hit is an out, then we're owed at least six points from all the times your batters clocked us in the head that we didn't catch and another four for when the octorok hit us at bat, which are normally considered balls."
"She's got a point, princess," Ravio said, scratching his cheek. The outfield had come in for this debate.
"You stay out of it, you good for nothing!" Hilda yelled. "You weren't any help when Lorule was in trouble and you're terrible at octoball derby!"
"That was uncalled for, princess," Thief Girl said. The Blacksmith nodded in agreement. "Ravio's always had Lorule's best interests at heart. He just sees things from a big picture perspective."
"Fine, you lot can have Link's homerun," Hilda said, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Enough, Link's hit stands," Sahasrahla said, as if the teams hadn't just decided that on their own.
"Its not like you're going to win this anyway," Hilda grumbled.
"We'll see about that," Zelda said. She pulled on the nice fire rod, but Link wouldn't release it. "Link?"
"We haven't fixed my problem yet," he said. "Both teams are playing dirty. It needs to stop. Right now." Ravio nodded in agreement.
"I can't speak for Princess Hilda," Ravio said, "but you can be sure the rest of us will shape up and play right. Winning isn't really winning if we cheat."
"Zelda?" Link asked.
She shrugged. "On my word of honor, Link, our play style will continue to mirror Lorule's game. If they play fairly our actions will reflect that." It was the best promise Link was getting out of his princess.
"And you, octorok?" Link asked.
"I have a name, you know," the octorok grumbled. It seemed the monster had recovered some thanks to the break.
"Oh? What is it?"
"It's Octo."
"Octo? I didn't know that was your name."
"You never asked," Octo sniffed.
"I shouldn't have had to ask," Link said. "Someone should have introduced us. I mean, I always introduce myself to everyone, but no one in Lorule ever really returned the favor. Then again, I can think of some Hyruleans also guilty of this behavior."
"You got a question for him or what?" asked Derby Boy. "I'd like to finish this game before I get old."
"Yeah, are you going to treat both teams the same, Octo? No more playing favorites?" Link asked.
"Sure thing, kid," Octo said. "Just don't hit me in the face again."
"We good, Link?" Zelda asked quietly.
"Yeah," Link sighed. He let go of their makeshift bat and gave her a small smile, which she returned. "Go knock 'em dead."
The seventh inning resumed with the fairest pitches Hyrule had seen all day. Both teams played cleanly for the rest of the seventh inning and all of the eighth. While Hilda occasionally looked like she wanted to try something devious, her subjects kept her in check.
The ninth inning started about as well as anyone could expect, as everyone had now been playing without pause for several hours. The Lorule batters were tired and hadn't fully adjusted to Octo's harder (but fairer) pitches yet, but Hyrule was unable to stop most of their successful hits. Both teams were more than ready or the game to end. Sahasrahla had fallen asleep again.
Lorule was up by two with a single out when Ravio came up to bat. Ravio wasn't a power hitter, like Link, Rosso, or the Lorule Blacksmith, but he often managed low bouncing balls that earned single or double runs. So it was more than a bit of a surprise when he managed to send the ball soaring into the air. Link was mesmerized as he watched it arch and begin its descent. Without really thinking about it Link took a few steps back and raised his glove.
Link's arm reeled back until his glove was level with his face. He peeked inside and to his surprise there was a ball. It was the first ball that had come into right field for him all game.
"Throw the ball, Link, throw it!" Zelda screamed from home.
That's exactly what Link did. He grabbed the ball out of his glove and hurled it at his princess as hard as he could. Link didn't think about the fact Osfala or Irene were closer and he didn't wonder if his throw would reach. He just acted on instinct. The ball whistled past Octo on the pitcher's mound as it flew just a little too far to Zelda's left for her to catch. However, as luck would have it—or perhaps by design of an unseen hand attempting to create a halfway decent octoball derby story—that was exactly where the ball needed to go. The ball smacked Princess Hilda right between her shoulders when she was less than a foot away from widening the gap to three. With that hit Lorule earned their third out and lost the chance to score.
"We can still win this," Gully laughed as Link finally reached the others at the bench. "Just three points to win it!"
"Two will get us an extra inning," Irene said.
"I doubt we can last through another inning," Rosso said. "Some of us are pretty worn out." Seres and Cucco Girl nodded in agreement.
"Then I guess we'll just have to win it all now. Gulley, you're up," Zelda said. She poked Link in the shoulder. "That was an amazing throw, Link. You really saved us there."
"I just threw the ball," Link said. He felt embarrassed after his earlier outburst. "Wasn't anything special."
"Remind me later that you need training," she said. "We haven't had a decent pitcher for derbyball since Impa developed arthritis." Link didn't know what to say in response to that, so he just sat down next to Zelda.
Gulley managed to get a single. Cucco Girl also got a hit, but Seres struck out. Luckily, they had two people on base and Link was a known homerun hitter. All of the Lorule team had a sense of defeat about them while the Hyrule team relaxed. Link appreciated the newly found faith in him, but it seemed a touch overdone. They shouldn't relax until the game ended. Still, he felt good and had yet to miss, so Link made several practice swings with the nice fire rod.
Octo sized Link up one last time. Link couldn't help, but grin at the octorok. He didn't know what the pitcher would send, but he was ready to do his best. Link missed the first pitch, but he hit the second one. It soared high like all of his previous homeruns. Everyone paused to watch it fly. That was a mistake. Instead of disappearing somewhere behind the tree line the ball hit a crow and fell into right field. It wasn't a homerun. The ball was still in play and Link hadn't left home.
"Run Link!" Zelda screamed. "Everyone run!"
That snapped everyone out of their stupor. Sahasrahla woke from his nap. Link bolted for first, which was empty. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gulley and Cucco Girl running. He safely made it to first and stayed there because that's what Zelda had told him to do. Link turned and watched to see what the others would do.
Gulley safely finished his run from third base to home, meaning they were now only a point behind. Cucco Girl wasn't so lucky. While Link's hit was definitely worthy of a double or triple play, she was no athlete. She made it to third base just fine, but instead of stopping she tried to go for the win. Sadly, she was already at her limit and ran out of speed in the home stretch. Derby Girl hit her out after Thief Girl retrieved the ball from Dampé's field.
Link felt a knot form in his stomach. Because he hit a bird instead of a homerun they were still down by one with two outs. That on its own was bad enough, but now Zelda up to bat. While the princes was doing better at bat than she had initially, she still struck out regularly and usually only managed a single if she hit it. Link would never trade Zelda for anyone ever. She would always be number one on his team no matter what; it was just that Link wished one of the other infielders was up to bat now. They were playing for the Triforce after all.
Then again maybe that meant this was the most fitting end to the octoball derby game. People often forgot about it, but Zelda wasn't just princess of Hyrule. She had also carried the Triforce of Wisdom. Perhaps once in a while someone other than the bearer of the Triforce of Courage was supposed to save Hyrule.
"Come on, Zellie, you can do it!" Link shouted. If he didn't have complete faith in her, who would? Zelda locked eyes with him before adjusting her dress and hefting their makeshift bat.
Link didn't actually see how Zelda dealt with the first pitch because the moment it left Octo's mouth he charged second base. There was a loud roar, but Link ignored it, focused on making it to second safely. He saw Hilda's smirk and the ball flying at his face, but a barrel roll got Link out of the way and safely onto second.
"Real cute stunt you just pulled," Hilda said. "Too bad your princess is just going to strike out and waste all your hard work.
"I don't know how I could have ever mistaken you for being like Princess Zelda," Link said. A look of disgust flashed across his face. "Because if that's your honest opinion of her you don't have a clue about my princess." Derby Boy announced Zelda's second strike. "She's not the strongest or the fastest, but she is the smartest and if Hyrule is on the line Zelda will always find a way."
On the third pitch Zelda whipped the bat out so that it was flat out over home plate when the ball hit. It was a bunt! Zelda dropped the nice fire rod and tore off toward first. Link sprang toward third. The ball bounced a few times then rolled to a halt midway between home and third base right next to the foul line. It was a pathetic hit that would have gotten them out with the pitcher in derbyball, but this was octoball derby. Octo couldn't leave the mound. Zelda and Link were able to safely make it to first and third before Lorule's shortstop retrieved it.
Link shot Zelda a thumbs up. He was so proud of her. She returned the gesture. The game hadn't been resolves yet, despite the poeticness it would have been if Zelda had hit a homerun, but they could still win. That was good enough.
Osfala had a clean hit. It flew over Hilda's head before landing in center field with a rapid roll into right field. Yet again Lorule's choice to use a ghost in right field bit them in the rear. Link safely made it home tying the game. He turned around and began yelling for Zelda to keep going. The ball was still loose. She made it to third base just as Thief Girl caught up to the ball. There was still time.
"Keep running!" Link bellowed as he gestured Zelda forward.
It was a simple sprint from there. She just had to run 90 feet in a dress without getting hit by a ball. Easy, Link could do it in his sleep. But Zelda wasn't Link and she had been running since she left first. Thief Girl threw the ball just after Zelda left third. Derby Girl caught it easily around the time Zelda reached the halfway point. Derby Girl paused only long enough to aim before hurling the ball.
The worst part of this situation was that Link could see everything, but unable do anything except scream for his princess to duck. He wasn't even certain she could understand him because his screeches had gotten so high pitched. Somehow though Zelda got the message because she fell forward and the ball safely flew over her as she slid toward home. Less safely the ball cracked into Link's face and ricocheted off toward the dugout. Link fell on his rear just as Zelda reached home plate.
"Safe!" Sahasrahla shouted, finally deciding to take an active role as umpire.
Laughing hysterically Zelda crawled forward until she could reach up and grab Link's neck. Equally giddy, Link pulled her into a rather bloody hug.
"You one!" Link shouted at her through his newly broken nose. He didn't think he'd ever let her go, even as their teammates gathered around to celebrate.
"We won," Zelda corrected, pulling back enough to look Link in the eyes. "We all won together."
Much later Link found himself sitting on the parapet of Hyrule Castle next to Zelda. The game had ended the moment Zelda had turned the score in Hyrule's favor as they had been in the bottom of the ninth inning. After much arguing and haggling with Hilda, the princess of Lorule turned the Triforce over to the princess of Hyrule. She also instated a rematch in two months. Then there was the celebrating. As soon as the octoball players returned to Hyrule with Triforce in hand a festival ensued.
Technically, the party was still happening, but Link and Zelda both bowed out. They weren't adults yet and used their early bedtimes as an excuse to escape. Link was happy everyone was so pleased, but he was ready to be done for the night. He had gotten up rather early that day after all. Anyway, sitting here with Zelda was about all he could now handle.
"Does your nose still hurt?" Zelda asked. She reached a hand out to touch it, but refrained from actually doing so.
"Not really," Link said, tapping the bandaging. "Impa wrapped it up good."
"You were amazing out there today. With basically no practice whatsoever you were better at octoball derby than half the team. I'm a little jealous," Zelda said.
"Don't be. You knew where to put us all and got us to play to our strengths and… and that slide at the end!"
"I ruined my dress doing that." Zelda touched the orange stained front. "Father wasn't very happy about that."
"I think this is one situation where your father's opinion doesn't count," Link said shyly. "Be proud of that stain, it got you the Triforce."
"We'll have to battle again in two months."
"Even so, that's impressive."
"You know, Link, you make a terrible blacksmith's apprentice," Zelda suddenly said, smiling at him brightly. "You like your sleep too much and never get up on time. It's a shame I can't imagine a world where you could live off playing derbyball because I bet you could manage that."
"Yeah," Link laughed in agreement. "I can't imagine anyone ever paying people to play a sport."
"So if you can't be a blacksmith or a ball player what do you think you'll be when you grow up?"
Link sighed and tried to think really hard. Zelda had that pesky smile on her face, which told him she already had the answer and was just giving him a chance to catch up. He appreciated it, really, but he was tired and just wanted her to tell him the score. She did more than enough thinking for the both of them.
"I don't know, princess, what should I do with my life?"
"Well, normally I'd suggest joining the castle guard because you've certainly got the skill and someday I think you'd make an excellent knight," Zelda said. "But if you can't manage a blacksmith's hours, you can't manage a guard's hours because they're similar."
"So what do you suggest?" Link asked, feeling vaguely annoyed. She was teasing him.
"You're already foolish, so why don't you be my fool?" Zelda asked. "You certainly make me laugh enough."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. The fool has a very special role in a court. He's the only person who gets to tell the ruler when he… or she," Zelda paused to chuckle as she reached for Link's face, "is out of line. I'll have more advisors than I can handle, but I need someone who I trust and respect there to point out when I'm out of line. That's what I think Ravio is supposed to do for Hilda. That's what I want you to do for me."
"But all Hilda ever does is yell at Ravio," Link spluttered. "I don't want you to do that to me! I really like you."
"And I like you too. A lot. You'll make certain we never develop that sort of power imbalance."
"You have a lot of faith in me."
"Of course I do. You're my foolish hero and you'll always be so even if you become my heroic fool."
"Could I still get knighted as your fool?"
"Sure, once I'm queen," Zelda said. "And I'll tell you what else, Link. If you're my fool you'll live here at the castle with me, spending your days with me, and you'll be a respected member of court. Or at least I'll respect you and my opinion's gotta count for something with the rest of them."
"But most people don't think I'm very funny."
"You've got time to learn to appeal to the masses. I know you can juggle," Zelda said, causing Link to blush. "Besides, when I end up saying that I married a fool this will make it the truth instead of an insult."
Link's mouth fell open when he heard her say that. That certainly came out of left field. Zelda hopped off her seat and stepped toward Link. She carefully shut his jaw with her hand and then kissed his cheek.
"Be my fool, Link. I promise you won't regret it," Zelda whispered.
Link didn't realize he was nodding until he saw her beaming. Then again, if he could make her that happy that easily maybe being her fool was the right job for him.
"Good night, Link. Oh my gosh, we are going to have so much fun tomorrow. I can't wait," Zelda laughed before waving and running inside.
Link leaned back against the stone and looked up at the stars. He was stifling a laugh of his own. Zelda was right. She was always right. He couldn't wait either.
Thanks for reading. If you have any thoughts or comments I'd love to hear them.