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THE LEGEND OF ZELDA:
THE WIND WAKER [Part One]`
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CHAPTER 1[Link of Outset]
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On an insignificant, uncelebrated island there lived an insignificant, uncelebrated boy. It was quite a lovely little island in the southern, balmy seas and for sixteen years he had lived there doing those insignificant that children do to pass their childhood by in a blur of ocean sun. He had a little sister, a fair, freckled girl always full of jests and mischief and it was in her good company that he did pass each insignificant day, just as uncelebrated as the last, never dreaming of the world beyond their island's harbor.
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Such a strange choice the gods made, choosing Link of Outset for such a grand task. Yes, it was surely the winds of fate that sent him forth chasing a legend across the vast stretches of the ocean. Like an autumn leaf spiraling lazily down from an oak, Link's unsuspecting sail caught a tall wind and by the time the gale died down he would be unrecognizable as the insignificant, uncelebrated boy from Outset.
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However our boy Link Raintree had no inkling whatsoever about what was to come, for today was his birthday, and there was nothing on his mind save for that…
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Today he was sixteen.
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It was Island tradition that a boy be considered a man on his sixteenth birthday and Link had been up since dawn to ensure that his first day of adulthood would last as long as possible. He had crept out of the house without breakfast while Aryll and Gran were still fast asleep.
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Outset was a tired, sleepy island where even the waves went about their business in a slower, torpid manner. There sure were a lot more old folks than kids on Outset Island and Link always thought Outset boredom would have been more bearable if there was someone his age around to endure it with him. Link did have Aryll, but there was still no boredom like Outset boredom.
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Link strolled along the beach on his way to the watchtower. The watchtower had severed virtually no purpose in over seventy years since there had been nothing to watch for in over since then. Nothing had ever happened on Outset, nor would it. Pirates were scarce in the south for there were no riches to plunder; all the money had been drawn to the city port of Windfall in the north. The only business at Outset Island was fish and fish alone. Link had always been certain that if he wanted adventure he would have to go looking for it—it would never find him here.
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As he hoisted himself onto the watchtower deck, there was a deafening discord of indignant squawks and then a whoosh of twenty pairs of wings as the seagulls, in chaotic unity, took off at his presence.
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"Go on!" shouted Link. "Get lost, the lot of you!" He laughed, stomping after them until he met the rail. Aryll would be furious if she knew he'd been tormenting her birds; Aryll had a sort of affinity fore those pesky gulls.
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From this vantage, one could see the entire north side of Outset Island. Outset was really two islands that rose directly out of the ocean into sheer, slate cliffs, except for a small, grassy strip that sloped shallowly up from the tide waters. The islands were joined together by the docks that ran the gap between the two, also acting as a barrier from the sharp rocks that projected out of the waters just yonder.
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The sleepy cluster of wooden houses stood near the docks and at the docks there bobbed several small fishing trawlers. Tiered along next to them was Beedle's colorful sampan, which served not only as his home but also as a travelling shop.
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But it was the small boat to the left of Beedle's that was of greatest interest to Link, for it belonged to him. He had labored all year building that boat and had taken it out around the island for a test run once or twice. The skiff seemed sturdy enough and even though it wasn't the least bit attractive, it was his ticket out of Outset and on to greater things.
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All he needed now was a sail.
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He'd been hinting for over a year now about just exactly what he wanted for his birthday. When the racing schooners with their crisp white sails pulled into port, he'd sigh to his grandmother, "Gee, it's a shame my boat doesn't have a sail, eh Gran?" And when Gran would ask him how it was going with his boat, Link would tell it her it was all going swell, but then, dismally, he'd add, "It ain't much good without a sail, though."
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It was a shoo-in for sure. A woman who could diagnose a cold from the first sniffle could certainly pick up on the obvious clues he'd left by heavy sighs at the sight of a sailboat. That sail was as good as his.
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There was also the option of writing to his father to ask for a sail, but Link figured his chances of actually getting one weren't worth the postage charge. It had never seriously occurred to Link to do so, for never in his life had he asked something of his father and he wasn't about to start now. Except for a few short months in the winter, his father, Mr. Raintree, spent his time fishing with a crew somewhere in the east. Gran said he couldn't stand to live on Outset after what happened to Link's dear mum.
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His ears perked to the 'thunk, thunk' sound of somebody making the climb up the ladder. Link waited for Aryll's head to peek over the edge of the platform, but she did show. He rolled his eyes skyward and called out, "I know you're there! Give it a rest; it wasn't even funny the first time, Aryll!"
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Aryll was getting good at this. She didn't even have to smother a giggle this time.
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Link sighed and muttered, "Fine have it your way," as he turned back around…
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…only to find himself nose to nose with his sister.
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Link jumped back with a sharp yelp.
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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG BROTHER!" cried Aryll. Even for the little, blonde runt she was, Aryll could sure still bellow louder and longer than any barrel-chested sailor Link had ever met. Aryll was forever giggles and freckles and she collapsed into a fit of the former at Link's alarm.
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"For somebody who's 'sposed to be sixteen you still scare easy as you did when you were fifteen," said Aryll, who lifted herself onto the rail and took a seat. Aryll appeared to be scrutinizing Link with her large, round eyes. "You look the same, too."
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"It's only been since yesterday," replied Link.
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"Yeah, but still…" Aryll insisted. The girl was silent for a moment, still looking disappointed at Link's lack of dramatic transformation. "Oh, right! Gran wants you down at the house. She sent me to fetch you."
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"For what?" said Link in a would-be casual voice, though he knew with great glee what Gran wanted with him.
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"Oh, I don't know-but I sure bet it has nothing to do with your birthday," she said dryly.
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Link didn't bother bidding her farewell, since there was no point in wasting niceties on Aryll. He hurried down the ladder in what he supposed to be record time. After a full year of tactful hinting and unbearable anticipation, that sail was almost his! He tried very hard to straighten out a gleeful skip in his stride as he past the docks.
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Now that the sun had fully risen the fishermen were busy preparing their trawlers for a day out at sea. Amidst the chaos of loading lobster traps and repairing nets, a few noticed Link and called out, wishing him a very happy birthday.
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The bent back of a man hunched over next to a colorful sampan caught Link's eye. The man's name was Beedle, and he happened to be a good friend of the family's.
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"'Oy! Beedle!"
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Beedle peered over his slumped shoulder at Link, offering him a feeble grin. Beedle was still fairly young, and quite the entrepreneur. Sailing in his rickety sampan, he sold useless junk and unripe fruit across the seas and made a pretty penny at it too! He was forever dreaming up new ways to lure business. Just last month he had commissioned a local artist to paint a truly awful mural on the side of his sampan, featuring himself in traditional Hylian garb, holding a bag of bait. His slogan ran beneath: The best feed on the seven seas!
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"Hey, Link! I'm heading out to sea soon, but the darn wind is blowing in from the north. So I'm stuck here 'til Zephos decides to change his mind." Zephos was the unpredictable wind god, who blew both good weather and hurricanes to shore.
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"Well, you know Gran says: the wind is always blowing in the right direction for somebody." Gran liked to quote that line every time Link grumbled about his misfortunes, be they weather related or not.
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"Hmpf! Yeah, for the competition," grumbled Beedle, securing his supplies to the back of the boat. He took his first good look at Link and leapt up as though a realization had struck him. "Oh! Goddesses, Link, I almost forgot what today is! Happy Sixteenth!"
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"Thanks, Beedle"
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"Oh, by the way, Aryll stopped by. Said that Gran is looking for you. Drop by later; I've got something for you."
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"See you then!"
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Link avoided by harangued by Orca, which always happened when he cut through the grump's lawn, by taking the long way home. Several more islanders congratulated him on his coming of age. Being polite as possible, Link avoided conversation and hurried up his porch steps, convinced that a brand new sail awaited him inside.
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Disclaimer:
Not in any shape or form does Zelda belong to me. Author's Note: A warning: this story is more loosely based on the canon than most Wind Waker fan fictions. Liberties with the plot and characters have been taken and abused. Please let me know what you think thus far! Please Review—it would positively make my day!!!