Sacred One
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters. Everything else belongs to Nintendo.
Author's Note: Sorry this is short - I do have more written, but I'm waiting to post it to make sure people enjoy it thus far. Also, I tend to not finish stories if I don't get reviews... hint :P Also, please feel free to point out any errors in grammar, etc. If there's any major errors in my 'Zelda' knowledge, feel free to fill me in, but I probably won't change anything in the story. You see, I'm a newbie to the Zelda fanbase, so I don't know much. Just kinda making it up as I go along. Yup.
Link slowly opened one eye, as he inwardly cursed himself for forgetting to close the curtains on his bedroom window. Sunlight streamed through the window and gently warmed his face. He opened the other eye and looked up at the ceiling. He sighed - he had hoped to sleep in today, but the Goddesses obviously had other plans for him. Rising out of bed, he stretched, causing his back to crack in about five different places. With a quiet laugh, he decided that, if anything, he could at least make a conscious effort to exercise this morning. He hopped down a flight of stairs, gently landing on the ground room floor. He looked up, admiring his little cabin-like house. He had just declared it 'finished' about a week prior.
After the battle to save Hyrule from the evil clutches of Gannondorf and the corrupt Twilight King Zant, Princess Zelda had asked Link if there was anything he needed - something so that the Kingdom of Hyrule could thank him for his efforts. After a short time of recuperation and thought, Link had decided that it was time to leave Ordoron. He had requested that he be given a few acres of land near the edge of Lake Hylia. Zelda had gladly granted his wish - and then some. Just a month after the battle, Link found himself the proud owner of 100 acres of land on the edge of the Lake, and a years worth of food and ample building supplies so that he could "get back on his feet" - and he couldn't complain. No sir, things had worked out just fine, thanks to Zelda's generosity. He had beach front property, plenty of land on which to grow food, and he was still within a couple days ride of Ordoron, not to mention Castletown. He had everything he needed, he was still close to home, and yet was distanced enough to start a new chapter in his life.
He smiled as he thought of these things. He walked over to his little pot-bellied wood stove and stoked the fire, along with putting on a pot of water with which to make some tea. As the water heated, he prepared his mug with the proper spices and loose tea leaves while looking at the small window under which he had built his kitchen counter. His smile grew as he saw a small, longhaired black cat standing at the edge of the lake, perhaps in hopes of catching a fish for breakfast. It was the newest addition to his 'family', if you could even call it that.
Charcoal, or Coal, had sauntered onto what was then a hazardous work site while Link was starting to put in wood planks that would eventually be the floor of his new home. Only a month or two old at the time, Coal had become lost, and had decided that Link would make a good surrogate mother. Link had, at first, tried to ignore the little fluff ball, not really wanting to deal with the burden of caring for a small animal. But after two hours of listening to the kitten wail, Link decided that maybe taking care of the little thing wouldn't be so bad - and thus a new and interesting friendship was born. Coal had grown into a fine example of his species, albeit a bit on the small side. In the end, however, that ended up being in both Coal's and Link's favor. Coal was still small enough to fit into the coop, and did an excellent job of cleaning out the rats that liked to sneak inside and eat the eggs. That, along with the fact that Coal also seemed to have formed a deep friendship with Epona, made Link happy that he had decided to take the rascal in.
He looked out at the five goats he owned, as they grazed on the various grasses that grew in the area. He smiled when he thought of how he had required the beasts - a parting gift from Fado, the owner of Ordon Ranch back in Link's hometown.
Snapped out of his daydream by a whistling tea kettle, Link poured the hot water into his mug and waited for the tea to steep. Minutes later, he filtered the tea leaves out, and stepped outside onto his porch with the steaming brew in hand. He sat in the oversized rocking chair he had built, looking out over the surface of the lake, appreciating the way the waves distorted the sunlight and made rainbows on the water. He sighed in contentment, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in ages. Little was he to know that while he was settling down, events that would change his life forever were already unfolding.