A/N: Written in honor of my new piano/keyboard thingy! :D I'm actually pretty proud of this one this time! (Even though it's short…)
DISCLAIMER: "The Legend of Zelda" and all rights, including the copyrights of the games, scenario, music and program, reserved by Nintendo. TM and (r) are trademarks of Nintendo. All rights reserved.
--Ballad of Twilight--
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Love is a piano dropped from a fourth story window, and you were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
-Ani Difranco
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Many years ago, long before I was thrown into the face of my own unintended destiny, I lived in a time when all I knew was nothing but innocent pleasure and undying bliss. It was during those few years that I experienced days with no ends, and a life of carelessness that was completely stripped of worry.
I was only six, or possibly seven, and even then I could distinctly remember the sweet smell of lavender essences burning within the softly lit candles scattered throughout the room. Every time I would walk into that certain chamber, every time my curiosity got the better of me, I took precise, careful steps as I approached a figure of awe positioned in the middle of the room. And I would stand there, eyes wide open in admiration as the skylights above me shone down on the figure, causing it to sparkle and glisten like a curtain of a thousand diamonds.
What had triggered my curiosity that day was my own darling mother—playing that certain figure, that instrument—with unearthly perfection and emotion.
And when she'd finish that melodic hymn, she'd lay her hand down, turn her head at me, and smile, patting the seat next to her. With glee, I would jump up, climb onto the seat, and start playing with her, attempting to match her hands.
That was the day that she had explained to me that the figure of awe was called a piano.
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Even now, years later, I can clearly recall the same tune she was playing that very day. It was a rather solemn tune, yet hides deep happiness within its chords if you paid enough attention. However, since that day, I was never able to hear it again, as inevitable tragedy struck.
And, like the song, I dearly miss them both.
The chamber had never again carried the scent of lavenders. Yet, everyday, I would saunter into that room and play that instrument—but never dare try to play the song that my mother once excelled at. Every time I'd try to even think about it, sober memories would flood my mind, and I had always found it difficult to dismiss them. So I had instead settled for happier tunes, ones with gleeful chords and a higher tempo. Yet even playing melodies like those could never fill the empty hole in my heart. I would sit alone in that chamber every day, trying to forget the events of my past. And as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into years, the hole would heal itself—slowly, and rather gradually. Even so, the seat beside me would never be occupied, and it seemed as if the piano was my only friend.
Fatefully, that all changed.
After Ganondorf had attacked Hyrule and threw it into a state of chaos, and after the destined Hero appeared and vanquished him, things had settled down once more. Yet there was always something about the Hero—maybe a certain gleam in his eyes, or maybe the way he smiled at me every time he would come to visit me inside the Castle—that had caught my attention. He seemed to have an aura of purity around him, which made me feel protected as I would walk with him every week within the gardens at twilight. And the way he would treat me—it reminded me greatly of my mother, who had always loved me no matter what.
And as our friendship grew, we met each other more frequently—sometimes in the evening, or possibly even in the early dawn. We became accustomed to each other in subtle ways.
The more time I spent with him, it seemed as if the hole in my heart began to heal even more rapidly. Sometimes, I would even forget about my mother and just focus on… him… He was the one that had brought pleasure back into my life again.
I played the piano less and less, instead choosing to take walks with him around Hyrule Field, or take a trip to Lake Hylia to see the Zoras. Even so, I could never forget about that instrument of awe completely.
It was one day, at the start of twilight, that I stepped foot into the chamber once again and burned a simple, small lavender candle, placing it upon the top of the piano. In my nightgown, I breathed in the haunting scent of the essence, and focused deeply into the song of my mother. Yet every note that came out of the instrument seemed empty.
For hours I had tried to play that song the way my mother had many years ago, but with each attempt I grew wearier. The hole in my heart seemed to open again, and each empty note left a lingering echo within the walls of the room.
At midnight, my last and final attempt at the song had failed. I was ashamed of myself; what would my mother think of me? But just when I was about to blow out the candle and leave the chambers, the Hero himself had walked into the room and sat beside me.
"Stop focusing too much on the past," he had softly whispered, brushing my hair. "Focus on the present—what your emotions are now, not how they were before."
He gave me a warm smile, and played a single note on the piano. It was the first note of the song.
"Your turn."
For a few moments, I simply stared at him, the candlelight beginning to flicker. Then, as my confidence grew, I returned his smile—and played the second note.
The rest of the night, the Hero and I had been in that chamber, playing my mother's song with a new feeling. A feeling of lightheartedness and compassion. A feeling of love.
I realized that he was the one that would completely fill the hole.
"Thank you, Link."
He turned at me, gave me a simple hug, and then replied,
"You're welcome, Zelda."
Ever since then, the first song I would play on the piano every day was the Ballad of Twilight—but never again did I play it alone.
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A/N: Well, hoped you enjoyed it! Please review if you have anything to say!
--The Eternal Nocturne--
Ballad of Twilight – Completed July 8, 2009