Many, many years ago, I used to sail the seas myself. I was a great adventurer, taking on storms and sailing Bokoblins alike with nothing but my little boat and a bow and arrow.
Even your Grandma was young once, you know.
Have I told you the story of the man who claimed to be from the old country, dear? No, I don't believe I have. I'll tell you now, then.
I was on a long voyage back from Dragon Roost Island in the north. It must have been just a few miles south of that - just south of Northern Triangle Island, I believe - when I saw someone floating in the sea.
It's not unusual for travelers to find castaways, of course. Most good folk will bring them home, or at least to the nearest settled island. It's just good manners. Pirates, of course, charge the poor people money for the trip, but - well, no one can do much to stop those types.
Anyway, I took the poor man aboard. He was the strangest man I've ever seen - dark skinned, with bright red hair - and very tall. He was wearing scraps of what might have once been armor. He looked like he had been a warrior.
I took care of him for a while - he was awfully sick, the poor man, dehydrated and weak. He must have been in the sea for a long time. His fever didn't break for nearly a week, and I must confess I thought he wouldn't make it for a while. He did though. That man had a warrior's spirit.
At first, when he woke, I couldn't understand him. He spoke a very old form of Hylian, you see, one that has long since disappeared from the Great Sea. I took him to Greatfish Isle, to see if the island's guardian, Jabun, could speak to him - but I couldn't find him. I spent a few weeks teaching the man to speak our Hylian, and when he could speak well, he told me he had come from Hyrule and he didn't know where he was.
I had to tell the poor man that Hyrule was ancient history. I told him our legend - the legend of the Hero of Time - and he looked very sad, especially at the end.
He told me a story in return, a few days after I told him our legend.
'Once, there was a great desert - a plain of sand and dust, where no trees or grass grew at all. The wind did not bring rain, only heat and great storms of sand. It was an awful place, where few could live for long.
'Despite the dangers and trials, a group of people known as the Gerudo lived in the desert. They were a tribe of warriors, who survived by taking food and water from farmers' fields near the edge of the desert.
'The king of the Gerudo saw the suffering his people went through, and he saw how easy life was for those farmers and the people of their country, with their green fields and great rivers. The king wanted his people to have an easier life, so he went to the king of the green country and asked for a field for his people to grow food.
'The king refused.
'The Gerudo king grew very angry at this, but he was a clever king. He knew that he could never win a war against the other country, so he came up with a plan to take over the other country by fooling the other king into thinking he was their friend.
'While he was planning, the Gerudo king learned that the country had a great magic that made the land green and beautiful. The Gerudo king decided to take this magic and use it to make the desert green.
'The Gerudo king found the magic, but when he touched it to use it, the magic split into three so he couldn't use it properly. The king became mad and went on an awful rampage, destroying the country he had taken over and ruining the fields he loved so dearly.
'After seven years of his horrible rule, the king was overthrown by a young man, who had gained part of the magic that had split apart. The young man had the mad king locked away, where he couldn't hurt anyone anymore.
'But the king escaped his prison and went mad once more. This time, the young man didn't stop him, so the gods of that land stepped in to stop him themselves.'
After the man told me that story, he asked me if I had ever seen people that looked like him - dark-skinned and red-haired - and I said I hadn't. He told me he wanted to go and find them, and I offered to take him.
We traveled the Great Sea for many months, looking for his people. We even went past the borders of the Great Sea, to places that were never on any maps that we could find. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we looked or where we went, we never found anyone that looked like him.
Once, I asked him who his people were and who he was, but he refused to tell me. He said his name was Dragmire, but that who his people were wouldn't matter unless we found them.
Two years after we set out, we returned to my home here on Outset Island. We hadn't found Dragmire's people, but he said it didn't matter for the time being.
He said that he was going to find something - he never told me what - and he told me to take care and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. He then left on a passing merchant ship heading north and disappeared.
"Did you ever see him again, Grandma?" Link asked, eyes wide and sparkling in his little face, peeking out from under his bed cover. Like most boys his age, he loved stories of adventure, and he loved hearing about anything odd or mysterious. It came of living on such a little island as Outset, where nothing exciting ever really happened. Aisha sometimes wished that Link's curious streak wasn't as wide, but she loved it, really.
"Oh, yes. He came to visit often, asking questions and telling stories. He hasn't come in a long time, though. Perhaps he's been busy with something."
"Did we ever meet him?" Aryll piped up. "Cause I don't remember anyone like that, and I think I would!" She frowned, trying to remember ever meeting the man.
Aisha laughed. "You two were very small when you met him. I believe you were about three, Link, and Aryll must have been barely a year old. He visited while I was taking care of you for your parents, while they were away on Windfall Island."
Now it was Link's turn to frown. "I think I remember that," he said. "I remember a really tall man in black, with a really deep voice." His eyes widened suddenly. "Right! I asked you if he was Grandpa!"
Aisha chuckled. "Yes, and didn't that surprise him. He isn't your grandfather, but he is a very close friend of mine."
"Oh." Link and Aryll snuggled deeper into their blankets. "I hope he comes back sometime," Link said. "I wanna meet him for real. I bet he's really cool."
"You can meet him another day. For now, it's time to sleep," Aisha said with a smile. "Goodnight, Link. Goodnight, Aryll."
"Night, Grandma!" the two replied in unison. Aisha sat in her chair by the fire, listening to their quiet breathing as the two fell asleep.
She sighed quietly. Raising Link and Aryll by herself was tiring, but she wouldn't have it any other way.
She watched the flames dance gently over the driftwood, wondering where the years had gone. Link was two years away from his coming-of-age already. It seemed like no time had passed at all since her days sailing the Great Sea and other waters, and yet it felt like a lifetime had gone by.
"Where did the time go?" she murmured, before smothering the fire and heading to bed herself.