Medley of the Mountain
A/N: For a certain songfic contest I just had to take part in!
This story was born of not just one, nor two, nor three songs. Seven songs went into this. Seven songs on shuffle on my iPhone. This was a challenge given to me by a dear friend. I took it, and then made it a contest-worthy piece.
Please try guessing as to what the seven songs are! If you are unable to, PM me for the answers!
For those of you wondering when GA:2 is going to be updated... it shall be soon, I promise! I've just been really busy...
Enjoy!
He first met the place during the first tournament, whilst he was taking a walk through the forest. He and eleven other competitors had been chosen to compete in a brand new competition: The Smash Brothers Tournament. Coming from a land lost in time, he had marveled at the mere sight of little things such as the toaster and a mysterious porcelain bowl called the toilet (which, it had to be admitted, scared him to death to use). But amongst all the glitz and glamour that the Smash Mansion had to offer, something within him still yearned for the life he had led before coming to this strange new world.
Something about the place attracted him. He would always spot glimpses of it while training on the sprawling emerald lawn. It was dark and misty, tall and grand. It seemed to soar in the skies, growing higher and higher until the mists around its crown shrouded it and he could see no more of it. Sometimes, when his heart had lost its way in his mourning for the loss of his homeland, his princess, he would simply stand there and stare at it.
On some mornings, he felt the heavy snow it carried on his shoulders. On others, he felt its invisible roots holding him to one spot. Once an eagle soared around its peak. He felt the wind through his feathers.
The crunching of leaves and twigs under his boots was music to his ears. A swift wind swept the world around him, granting the trees their gentle rustling voice. As the great precipice slowly appeared in front of him, he stopped and stared, feeling as if he were a mouse facing a golden lion.
The climb to its peak was long and hard, but he never faltered. During that climb, he came across numerous little things that only encouraged his determined trek to the top. Here was a family of squirrels preparing for the winter. There was a large patch of wildflowers that would bring a smile to anyone's face, even cold Samus Aran's.
The first thing he saw when he reached the peak was a river. It was a beautiful little thing, hidden down in the valley. He stood there for a moment and simply watched this vision. It was so clear that he could count the leaves on ever tree, feel the gentle ripples of the winding river.
He stood up tall and spread his arms, throwing his face to the wind. The breeze rippled his dirty blonde hair, the gentle melody of rustling leaves filled his ears. For so long, trapped in the grounds of the Smash Mansion, he had questioned himself. He was a man lost in time, one who did not fit in the glitz and the glamor of the mansion. Sometimes, as he was dining with famous names such as Mario and Pikachu, he would ask himself who he was to these great warriors. Was he a friend? A rival? Just the random guy who sat at the corner of the table and never spoke?
He understood who he was now, here on this mountain. Way above the ground, he was a star up in the sky, shining down on a world of green. He was a mountain peak towering above a world of blue. He was a hero who, all ways considered, had made it.
He was the world's greatest.
He returned to the place often during the First Tournament. Sometimes he would bring his ocarina and play a beautiful song. Other times, he would bring a book- one of the ones the Princess had given him, of course- and read until he was tired. And other times still, he would simply sit there and stare.
Once, he came there not because of the peak, but because of the river. Not really thinking of what he was doing, he had brought a silver dish with him. When he placed the silver dish in the river, a thin layer of water appeared on it. This dish he carried with him up the mountain, careful not to spill a single drop as he walked.
When he reached the peak, it was shrouded in a thick layer of snow. Dropping to his knees, he placed the dish on the ground and leaned forward. There, reflected in the silvery water, he saw someone that looked an awful lot like himself. Blonde hair, strong jaw-line, wolf-like eyes...
Who was this person? Why was he staring at him?
He blinked. So did the other man. He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. The young man in the water copied. He touched his cheek. The other person did as well.
He reached out with a finger, the other man doing the same. For a moment their fingers hovered over each other, trembling in the freezing cold air. Then, slowly, the fingers were lowered towards each other and, for a split second, they touched.
Then the spell was broken. The other man, the other him, shattered with the gentle undulation of the ripple he created. He watched this other man, his reflection, beginning to reform as the scattering ripples faded away. The other person was back. And once again, he was staring straight back at him.
He looked at himself. He would never pass as a Smasher. He could barely figure out how a microwave worked, let alone Samus' guns. Those that came to the tournament had powers beyond anything comprehensible. Mario had flames literally at the tips of his fingers. Pikachu could command lightning. Kirby could eat anything and absorb special abilities.
What did he have? A sword, a shield, a boomerang, a bow, and some arrows. Sure, he was a sharp shooter, and the only person who could ever really wield the Master Sword, but take all that away and what did he have? Nothing. Nothing except a stupid hat, a stupid tunic, and stupid, stupid, stupid pointy ears.
He had been given an opportunity for power once before. The Triforce, the source for all the power in his land, had been floating in front of him once upon a time. He could have wished for anything. Power. Courage. Wisdom. Magic. The universe under his command. Love…
But he didn't ask for any of that. Because if he asked for any of that, it would have been selfish. It would have tainted him as the Hero of Time.
It would have broken Zelda's heart.
"Link, where are you taking me?" she asked. He smiled, only tugging on her hand harder.
"Just a little further," he whispered. "Just a little bit more…"
Her golden hair caught the light, framing her perfect heart-shaped face. His heart pounded as the sweet scent of her perfume reached him. It reminded him of days roaming Hyrule Field, of nights spent sleeping amongst the gentle whisper of the trees. At the same time, he was taken back to the musty caves of Dodongo's Cavern, to the sunken halls of the dreaded Water Temple, and even to the dark and cold halls of Ganon's Castle. He remembered the adventure the two had shared, the laughs and the tears and the beauty of Sheik's- her alter-ego- thin, athletic physique twisting gently in the moonlight.
"I think it best that you tell me soon," the Princess said, voice quivering slightly. "Father would be so angry if he were to ever find out that I left the Smash Mansion grounds! And blindfolded on top of that! Oh, I knew I shouldn't have allowed myself to be so deceived… I just knew it…"
He threw back his head and laughed. "Princess, when was the last time you did something you wanted?"
Before she could answer, he scooped her up and carried her up the place himself. She shrieked for a moment, then laughed, playfully beating his chest. Her cries of "Put me down!" and "Link, stop it!" reached deaf ears as he carried her higher and higher, finally setting her atop a nice flat rock at the very top of the mountain.
"Can this blindfold come off now?" she asked, perfect pink lips coming together in a rather childish pout.
He smiled. "Alright, Princess-"
"Zelda."
"... Zelda..." he reached up behind her golden locks and gently undid the knot. "Let me show you the world..."
The moment her clear blue eyes were unveiled, they shone. The sun caught them and made them sparkle, creating the illusion of eyes made of sapphire. Her pouting mouth rounded out into a perfect O, her cheeks flushed pink with surprise. It was a rather funny sight to behold, but nothing was compared to what her melodious voice spoke next.
"Oh Link... It's so beautiful..."
And beautiful it was. He had never truly appreciated the beauty of this special place in the first tournament, but now, his eyes were opened. All around him he saw green and brown, blue and gold. Here and there small blotches of pink could be seen, as well as several little puffs of red and yellow. The sun gently basked each and every color in a gentle pale glow. It was an unbelievable sight.
Most radiant of all, however, was the woman beside him. Her beauty, which normally marred everything else in comparison, seemed to beautify everything it fell on today. The grass, the tree, the sky, and even the rock she sat on seemed to take a small part of her beauteous glow and make it part of them.
Zelda's reaction to this new discovery was indescribable. He basked in her happiness, her smile, her laugh. She ran back and forth around the peak, gazing at everything she possibly could, laughing and exclaiming and crying. She soared, she tumbled, she weaved among the rocks on the ground, all of this under an endless sunlit sky. After much running, she turned to him, eyes filled with joyous tears. At the sight of this joy, his heart skipped a beat.
She ran to him, her royal demeanor slowly returning with each step. He felt a small pang of loss as he watched her childish happiness slowly fade before his very eyes. She stopped in front of him, regal again, and took his hand.
"Thank you, Hero, for showing me this place," she said formally. Suddenly, there was a spark in her eye, and her smile seemed to widen. For a moment, he saw the child again, and his spirits rose. "Oh Link... it's like you've shown me a whole new world!"
He smiled and pressed her delicate hand to his lips. "Anything for you, Princess..."
"Zelda, silly! Must I remind you always?"
The second competition, known to some as the Melee Tournament, was coming to an end. He met many old faces as well as knew, reconnected with some, made friends with others. Now, on the very last night of the tournament, he was here again on the mountaintop, gazing out at the world beyond. Of course, he was waiting... waiting... waiting...
"Link!"
"There he is!"
He stood as two sword-wielding men approached. One of them, a young man- almost a boy- with a head of flaming red hair sheathed his blade immediately and ran to pound Link on the back. The other, a regal prince with a neatly kept mop of blue hair, smiled kindly and nodded.
"Hey Marth," Link said quietly, wincing as a hand slapped his back. "And hello to you too, Roy."
"Where were you?" Roy asked. "You didn't even bother showing up to the party! Mewtwo started a poker game and everything! And you missed Mario getting creamed in Dance Dance Revolution!"
Marth chuckled. "Yes, it would seem that Luigi has many hidden talents."
Link smiled and shook his head. "I... I guess you can say I was here the entire time... seeing the world..."
"Right," Roy said sarcastically, plopping onto a nearby rock. "Because it's all so brand new."
Marth and Roy were two of his closest friends at the mansion. The three were kindred spirits: sword-users, connections to royalty, coming from lands lost in time, the good stuff. They had bonded easily over the strange devices in this new world (Link was proud to say that he had taught them how to use the toilet and microwave properly) and their mutual liking for swords.
Other than Zelda, they were the only two that knew of his special place atop the mountain. Sometimes, when life at the mansion became too hectic or when they just wanted a place to themselves, they would come here and just sit atop the mountain.
"It's beautiful out," Marth remarked, closing his eyes and smiling happily as the sound of crickets filled his ears. "Ah... reminds me of home. In Altea, we used to call crickets chirping the Rhythm of the Night..."
"Yeah... uh... in Phrae, we kinda used to squish them..." Roy mumbled.
"But never mind that... Link..." Marth hesitated. "Did you not come to the party... because of Princess Zelda?"
That name hit a chord within Link that brought a rather bad taste to his mouth. Lately, Zelda had been seen in the company of one Captain Falcon an awful lot. Link had nothing against the racer, but just something about seeing him with the Princess, his Princess, made his blood boil. Marth seemed to catch onto this and pressed on.
"You... are aware that they are not in a relationship, yes?"
That was news to him. The way they were all buddy-buddy all the time, he thought there was no doubt they were in some form of relationship. But if they weren't courting each other, then why...?
"Yeah, they've only been hanging out a lot lately because they're planning to pull some kind of huge prank on Ganondorf later," Roy grinned. "They would've included you into it, except Zelda didn't want you getting in trouble with Master Hand." he leaned back lazily. "So don't worry, your lady love is 100% still available for you to-"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Link said quickly.
"Yeah, right!" Roy snorted.
Marth smiled sagely. "There's something in the air between you two, Link. Don't deny it."
Before Link could answer, the gentle tolling of bells cut him short. Each ring of the bell was a Smasher's ID, telling them that they were needed in the Smash Mansion's main hall immediately. Tonight, of course, the bells would signal that someone from that Smasher's world had come to pick them up and take them home safely.
The three counted eight chimes. Once the bells were silenced, Link and Roy turned to Marth. Eight had been his identification. For a moment, Link could've sworn that the Altean prince was trembling. In the faint moonlight, he saw the glimmer of tears in his friend's eyes.
"I..." he swallowed. "It's been fun, you two... but I've got to go..." he smiled, still trembling. "My wife is here and she would worry-"
"Chill, Marth," Roy said. "Tell Caeda I said 'Hi' and for Ashera's sake, stop being so slow with your relationship with her! Life is much too short to take it slow!"
"Um... of course, Roy..." Marth raised a hand and turned to go. "Good bye, dear frie-"
"Marth, wait," Link said suddenly. The prince stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow. "Before you go and hit the road... I've gotta know... when can I see you again?"
"Yeah..." Roy said. "When can we do this again?"
Silence. Then, Marth dropped his sword and ran forward, all dignity and formality forgotten. Link felt himself and Roy being pulled into a tight hug, felt a light wetness on his shoulder as Marth sobbed into them.
"Next tournament, you bloody fools," the prince whispered. "Next tournament or I'll have your heads!"
"Link?"
"Hm?"
"Link? Link? Link?"
"What is it, Toon?" he turned to the little boy sitting beside him, who had been watching the grass grow for the past hour.
"I just kinda wanted to know... how long have you been coming up here?"
"A long time," Link replied. "Ever since the First Tournament..."
"Which one is this?"
"This tournament? The Brawl one?"
"Yeah!"
"The third, of course."
"Cool..." he went back to watching the grass. For a few minutes, silence fell between the two. Link actually began to doze off. But just as the hero was going to slip into blissful slumber, Toon's voice cut through him again.
"Link?"
"Hm?"
"Can you tell me a story?"
He was well-known for his stories within the mansion. The smaller Smashers used to come up to his room every night to listen to him. Sometimes the beautiful Princess- now Queen- Zelda would be there and he would lose his place. Sometimes Mario would be there to help with visuals and such. Sometimes, when she walked by, Samus would lean against the doorway and listen in for a little bit before leaving quickly to attend to whatever other duties she had.
"Alright... which one do you want to hear?"
"The Subspace Emissary!"
That was the younger Smashers' favorite story. Link had made it up, starring ever single Smasher in the Brawl tournament. It was a frequent request, and Mario and Link were usually happy to provide the story and visuals to tell it. But lately, it had been requested a few too many times, so Link usually tried to avoid the story as best as possible and instead tried telling them other ones.
"That one again? Aren't you ever going to get tired of it?"
"No way! That one's your best story out of all the ones you've ever told!" Toon's eyes widened as he gazed right at Link. "Pleeeeaaaaaase?"
He pursed his lips. Toon's puppy-dog eyes were infamous in the mansion. Using them, he was able to get even selfish and cruel Wario to give in to his demands. But then again, after having become immune to Zelda's puppy-dog eyes, Link had begun building up a resistance to this look as well.
"Why don't I tell you a new story?"
"Does it star me?"
"Uh... no... but it is an old Hylian legend..."
"Can it star me?"
Link laughed. "If you wish it to... now... where should I begin..."
"The beginning, of course!" Toon shouted.
"Well... once upon a time, there was a light, born at the World's End. That light was destined for greatness, but he didn't know it yet. In fact, it was fated that he would become a mighty warrior that would one day reign over the skies."
"Awesome!"
"As this light grew, he began to observe the beings below him. These beings lived in darkness, for there was no way to light the world. They stumbled blindly, bumping into some things and falling down other things."
"Ouch..."
"But they loved their goddesses and always left gifts for them. However, the light always felt guilt, because they always gave the very best to the goddesses, leaving almost nothing for themselves. This guilt wracked him, and once, while he was training in battle, he harmed himself. When the beings heard of this, they offered methods of healing to the light in order to speed the healing of his wound."
"Well, that's nice of them."
"Yes, it was... but the light never healed. So wracked with guilt he was that he couldn't heal if he relied on kindness. So, he chose to descend down to the world below and see if there was another way for his wound to heal. As he went, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was stolen from the mortal world to make it so dark. And yet, he also couldn't help but wonder why, in the midst of this world with no light, the beings could still sing a joyous song."
Link paused there and looked at Toon. The little boy was leaning back now, eyes turned towards the sky. The dark eyes turned to him, imploring him to continue. Grinning, Link complied.
"The moment he came, the world suddenly had light. Everything was bright. The beings cried out first in fear, then in joy, as now they had a light to shine upon them. But the moment the light moved to another place, it was dark again. And the beings sobbed.
Now there was pain in the light, for he knew that he was bringing great happiness, yet at the same time, great sorrow to the humans. He could not heal if he relied on kindness, yet he could also not heal if he allowed sorrow to guide him.
One day, he came upon a field and allowed his light to shine upon it... and he saw something truly horrible..."
"What?" Toon suddenly spoke. "What did he see?"
"He saw a battlefield, bloodier than anything he had ever seen. Everywhere he looked, there were corpses of the dead and dying. Some of the soldiers still alive shrunk and skirted away at his approach. The light was horrified as he looked around, wondering if it was because of him that his horrible fate befell the poor creatures around him.
Then he heard something. A scream pierced the night. The light stood and rushed towards the noise, finding a carriage from which the screams came. It seemed locked, and the light could hear someone pounding on the walls from within. It took all of his mighty strength, but eventually, he broke the lock upon the carriage and in it beheld the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life."
"Oh gross, now it's getting all mushy."
"Quiet, Toon. This is part of the story... Her skin was free of blemishes and white as snow, her eyes blue as the sky. She was clad in a dress of flowing white, her long silver hair flowing down her back. The moment the light saw her, he knew he was in love. And so he took her as his wife and treated her as any good husband should."
"Can we stop with the icky now?" Toon whined.
"Well... the light took his wife with him around the world, trying to help the beings of the earth in any way they could. But no matter what the light or his wife did, the pain within him never healed. The physical wound did, but not the emotional one... the one born from bringing so much joy and happiness, yet at the same time causing so much sorrow...
'I can't go on,' the light said to his wife one day. 'No matter what I do, nothing seems to be helping the poor mortals here... I bring them joy with my light, and yet, when I leave, there is no light for them to use... but I cannot stay in one place forever...'
His wife lovingly placed a hand on her husband's face. 'Husband, don't you know? You must try to keep the world from tears. To do that, you must return to where you once began... far beyond this world you know... to the greater light...' she pointed at the sky.
The light gained an idea. He returned to the world above, taking his wife with him. Once there, he knelt before the three goddesses and begged them to turn he and his wife into sparks. Sparks to light up the world.
The goddesses were pleased with their suggestions and granted the light and his wife new names. The light became known as Sun from then on. His wife became known as moon. As a final transformation, the goddesses turned the two lovers into sparks... and these sparks flew within the wind and up even higher into the skies... to this day, the husband and wife are up there watching over us, making sure we always have light to guide our world."
"So... they turned into the sun and moon?"
"That's right, Toon."
"Wow..." the admiration in Toon's voice warmed Link's heart. Without warning, Toon wrapped his arms around Link's neck and gave him a tight squeeze before standing up and running off.
"Where are you going?" Link asked.
"To tell everyone else your story!" Toon called over his shoulder.
Link rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Your Highness?"
"Hello, Link."
It had been a long time since he saw her on the peak of the mountain. Normally, her queenly duties- even while she was at the Brawl Tournament- made her unable to come up as often. But tonight, swathed in a plain dress of blue and pink, everything seemed to fall into place.
Everything seemed normal.
"How are you doing?" she asked.
"Fine... but I am more concerned for you," Link said quietly. He stepped towards her, his heart hammering in his chest. "It has been so long..."
She stepped closer to him, laying her hand on his chest. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist. They rested in that position for a moment, him cradling her, and said nothing. Then, Zelda spoke.
"You know..." she began. "All those days watching from the windows... watching you leave the grounds to come here... or you training with Marth and Ike and Roy... or-"
"Sh..." he said gently, pulling her closer. "It's okay..." her hair smelt wonderful, like the wildflowers of Hyrule Field.
"All that time I spent at my desk..." her voice was both laughing and sobbing. "All that time never really knowing... thinking that my queenly duties were everything... never really knowing just how blind I've been..."
"You haven't been blind at all, Zelda..." Link said weakly. "You've just been... busy..."
"I'm here now, though," she whispered, burying her head in his chest. "I'm here now... and the stars... they're so beautiful..." she looked into his eyes. "It's so clear now... I'm where I'm meant to be..."
He gazed into her eyes, lost in oceans of glorious blue. His memories came up: all this time, chasing down a daydream, living in a blur. All that time and he never truly saw things the way they really were. But now Zelda was here, glowing, blinking, glittering in the starlight. And now he knew. He knew that he wanted her, needed her. He knew that he would die without her.
He pulled apart from her and reached into a hidden pocket of his tunic. She gazed at him, features contorted into a look of confusion. This look was replaced with one of surprise as he slowly bent to one knee.
"Zelda... all these years we've been friends... and this past tournament, when we finally... I..." he was at a loss for words. The stars framed her face beautifully. "I... I see the light, Zelda... I can see the light of our future... but in all honesty, I want us to share the future." he brought out a small black box, his heart in his throat.
"Link..." Zelda whispered, her hands over her heart.
"Be my light, Zelda..." he popped the box open, showing the glittering diamond within. "Be my wife..."
His head was stuck in the clouds. Today was the day. The greatest day of his life. He couldn't wait for it. Not even Master Hand's droning could ruin it.
"Link!" Zelda's whisper cut into his day-dreaming. He blinked and looked down at her. "Link, quit fooling around!"
He blinked idiotically and looked around at his assembled fellow Smashers, Assist Trophies, and Pokemon. They all looked at him expectantly. In the back, Crazy Hand twitched erratically in the silence.
"Your vows," Master Hand whispered, gently poking the Hylian on the shoulder.
Link gulped and fumbled in his suit pocket for the paper. He couldn't find them at first. Oh goddesses, did he forget them? No, he couldn't have, he checked his pocket ten times, then had Marth check it twenty...
Quite a few people had snickered by the time he finally got his vows out. Casting a small glare at Ganondorf, who was snoring loudly, Link unfolded the paper and cleared his throat.
"Zelda... I love the view from up here. There's warm sun... wind in my ear... but for the longest time, this view was only for me... until you came along. Until you came along and brought light into my life. Zelda Harkinan, together, we'll watch the world from above... I promise you that your husband I will love you..."
The next thing he was fully aware of were her lips on his.
Then his back being pounded.
Then Crazy's excited shout of "PARTY!"
Then...
"Link, you have two left feet," Zelda joked as he twirled her clumsily around the mountaintop.
"Well excuuse me, Princess," he smirked. "It's a bit hard, considering that at any time, we can both spend our wedding night on separate hospital beds rather than-"
"Stop it!" she hissed, "Can't you not be perverted for just one night?"
"We might only have tonight, you know..." Link said mischievously "So until the sun comes out and the roosters start crowing, you're mine, Princess. Allllll mine..."
"Ugh! Really, can't you at least pretend to be the knight you are for once?" Zelda asked, trying to look offended. Of course, her smile gave her away.
He pulled her close, savoring the feeling of his Queen, his wife on his chest. Her pristine face buried itself into his suit jacket, her gorgeous wedding dress billowing in the wind. She had gone for a very simple white dress and weaved only a few mountain wildflowers into her hair.
To Link, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
They spent the rest of the reception there, dancing. Sometimes, when an especially nice song came up, Link would hum along and draw Zelda closer to him. And there they danced, happily swaying to the rhythm of their love, of their song...
Of their mountain.