Another day dawned on Windfall Island, with the sun shining brightly, reflecting across the ocean waves like a golden mirror. The birds chirped merrily as the wind whistled quietly through the town. The sky was a clear shade, indicating another beautiful day to come.
For Mila, who tended to be more practical with her thoughts, that meant another day of work.
She rose up from her cot, trying to shake off such thoughts. It wasn't easy, considering how much she had once had. Three months ago, had you asked Mila about her lifestyle, she would have said that it was perfect. Daughter of the richest man on the island, living the life of luxury...and then everything had turned upside-down. A giant bird grabbed her one afternoon when she was on a stroll on the beach, and took her to a strange fortress to the northwest. From there, what she could only describe as a very strange series of events had taken place. In the end, Mila had been able to return to Windfall...but it had cost her wealthy father everything he owned.
She turned and stared at her father, who still lay sleeping under a slightly tattered blanket on the ground. She really wished he would find himself a job, but with his bad back, there wasn't a lot he could do. The rich lifestyle he had led before the Reversal (as Mila had come to call it) had caught up to him.
The end result, of course, was that Mila had to work to support them. Shrugging on one of her grimy brown dresses, she headed off to do just that.
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Mila walked up to Zunari's stall. Despite her early rise, as usual, Zunari had beat her to the place. The little man never failed to be up before the crack of dawn, and yet he frequently stayed up nightly running the local auction house. Mila still did not know how in the Great Sea he managed to keep up with so little sleep.
As she walked up, Mila could tell that Zunari was more excited than usual. She figured it probably was something that happened yesterday, as he had given her the day off. Grateful as she was, Mila had naturally not bothered to ask why. The fourteen year-old girl strode forward, catching Zunari's eye as she approached the stall.
"Dear me, you won't believe what has happened! A most glorious opportunity has been opened, for both me and you!" Zunari exclaimed. Mila blinked, wondering what Zunari had planned this time. The man made his living selling and trading exotic goods and decorations from all across the Great Sea. The majority of his dealings seemed to be with Goron merchants, who periodically visited Windfall to purchase goods and supplies. On occasion, some of the locals would stop by to see if he had anything, although they rarely bought anything. Mila suspected the nightly auction was the only way Zunari actually made a profit.
"I have acquired...THAT!" Zunari said, waving his hands in the air. "Ok, um...so what is 'that'?" Mila asked, feeling somewhat lost. "Why, THAT is the key to expanding my...no, our business across the ocean!" Mila wondered if the merchant would every actually get to the point. She decided to try another tack. "Okay, can you show me 'that' then?" Mila requested.
"Dear me, I should have done that from the start! Follow me!" Zunari turned and dashed down the street...which, given his short stature, was more of a rapid walk. Mila turned and followed him, noting they were heading towards the harbor.
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Mila walked out on the docks, staring in disbelief at 'that'.
'That' was a bright red sailboat, moored to the dock with a short length of rope. A strange figurehead rose from the front of the boat, looking like a cross between a lion and a mythical dragon. Even Mila, who knew nothing about boats, could tell this one was incredibly well-crafted, to the point of perfection. Standing next to it on the dock was a burly young man with a goatee.
"Ah, you're back." the man commented, "Is this the one who-?"
"Dear me, yes, yes, Master Candy." Zunari exclaimed, still full of energy despite his rapid (for him) run to the harbor. Mila wanted to snort, wondering what kind of person named their child Candy. However, she held it in, reminding herself that she was supposed to be more polite. She turned to regard the ship, feeling strangely drawn to it somehow.
"Do you remember my other assistant, Mila?" Zunari said. Mila looked over, startled. She couldn't remember the little merchant ever calling her by name before. She nodded, knowing all too well who he was talking about. That kid in green, who had helped negotiate some of the trading deals with the Goron merchants. The very same kid who had been one of the ones who had let her out of the strange fortress the giant bird had taken her to.
The very same kid who had helped her turn her life around before she started down a darker road...
"Hey, lassie!" the man named Candy snapped, "You gonna daydream all morning or what?" Mila jumped, realizing that her face was hot with a blush. With a furious shake of her head, she returned her attention to reality. Zunari chuckled, "Dear me, your face is quite red...almost as red as this boat! Anyway, the other assistant sold me this boat along with a lot of other miscellaneous things too! Isn't it wonderful?"
Mila, being no fool, understood instantly what Zunari planned. "So," she said, "You're going to use this boat to go sell your wares on other islands?" Zunari's grin, already wide, grew even wider as he regarded Mila. "Dear me, oh no. I'm far too old to go sailing across the seas so boldly. You're going to go and help sell my goods."
If her jaw were made of rubber, Mila's would have hit the dock just then. She knew absolutely nothing about boats! How could he expect her to sail across the ocean by herself...then it hit her. That must be why the burly man was there. Candy was probably a sailor, and here to teach her about how to do it.
Zunari confirmed it, "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to set sail without knowing how to do so. That's why Master Candy here will teach you how!" Candy grunted and stepped forward. "Okay, so about the rudder..."
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Two hours later, Mila felt amazed that sailing was far simpler than anything she'd thought it would be. Furthermore, she'd had a look at what the little boat could do, which impressed her further. She still found it hard to believe that the mast, a salvage crane, and a small cannon all folded together neatly in such a small compartment. Then again, Mila had known the small craft was special...just not this special.
As Candy walked off, having finished his explanation of how to sail, Zunari waddled up. Mila had not even noticed he'd been gone. "Dear me, you finished learning already! Excellent!" exclaimed the merchant, drawing closer. "So, I'd like you to leave today for Dragon Roost Isle, as the wind is blowing to the east for today. I want you to make a deal with the Rito there, as I'm certain they could use some of my goods." Mila rolled her eyes, seriously doubting this. Zunari did not notice this, but continued to speak, "Before you go, Mila, I have a concern."
Mila was stunned at his seriousness. Concerns? Why would he be concerned for her? She was just his employee. Curious now, she asked, "What concerns?"
"Dear me, so direct. Anyway, the concern I have is that I know you work a different job during the evenings. Now, sailing around the Great Sea, you may be gone overnight, which means-" "It's ok," Mila cut him off, "I don't work there anymore." She inwardly shuddered, silently vowing once again to never work with explosives, let alone do so at night.
"Well, then we'll just have to...promote you...shall we?" Zunari noted, "As of now, you are no longer an assistant, but an apprentice merchant. Here is a sample of my wares." He handed her a small package, which she stowed on the boat. "And here are some supplies, courtesy of my...former assistant," he said, handing her a good-sized sack. Mila placed it on the boat as well, then hopped in.
As she began to raise the sail, Zunari spoke, raising his voice slightly, "Hold on! Do you really think you're fit to make deals looking like that?" The short man gestured at her body, and Mila looked down at her dirty outfit. She grimaced, realizing Zunari had a point. She looked up again, to see him brandishing yet another package. Briefly wondering how he was able to carry so many things, she climbed back out of the boat and took the package.
"I suggest you go home and change into one of those sets of clothes. You probably ought to say goodbye to your father too," Zunari said. "But...the cost...how many rupees?" Mila protested, unsure of why Zunari would do this. Zunari replied, "Dear me, you have so much to learn. The new clothes are an investment. If a merchant wishes to make money, they first must spend money, or time, in order to ensure their success."
Mila nodded, understanding perfectly. It wasn't about doing something nice for her...it was strictly business. Giving a half-wave to her boss, she headed home to change.
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It turned out her father wasn't home. Mila hoped he was out looking for some kind of work he could do. Changing clothes quickly, she headed out, not wanting to keep Zunari waiting.
As she headed back to the docks, she had to admit the new clothes were much better than her old dress. The outfit she had decided to wear consisted of a blue sleeveless top and brown shorts, and they both fit her comfortably. A new pair of leather shoes helped also, and Mila felt even more confident about this whole thing.
Arriving at the docks, Mila found Zunari still waiting for her. "Dear me, that was quick. Are you ready to go?" Mila nodded, "Yes," and hopped into the red boat again. "Now," said the merchant, sounding serious, "I want you to promise me you won't do anything rash. The Great Sea is dangerous, with many strange creatures."
"Um, sure," Mila responded, not seeing the point. As if she would actually do anything reckless...she knew better than that. Mila readied the sail, and the boat slowly began to move. As it picked up speed, Mila heard Zunari calling out after her, "Remember, you will have to complete the deal by swearing a merchant's oath! A merchant's oath will never be broken! Good luck!"
Mila threw a hand out in acknowledgment as the red boat began to turn, sail puffing as it caught the wind. And then she was off, carrying her cargo to the horizon and beyond, as Zunari watched her depart. Looking back, Mila saw him begin to walk slowly back to his stall. She turned her focus forward to the destination ahead of her: Dragon Roost Island.
Author's Note: Well, here we go. For those not aware, I originally uploaded the first seven or so chapters of this story, only to have a technical glitch while doing some updates force me to take them down. (I think I know what caused the problem now, so I will be careful not to trigger it again.)
I eventually decided to rewrite them somewhat, as I was not satisfied with certain details, which, in retrospect, didn't seem logical to me. However, most of it remains the same, so the old readers who liked it before should like it just as much now, if not more.
And just so people not familiar with the video game series won't bug me about how it fits in, I shall tell you. This story takes places after the events of The Wind Waker and during the events of Phantom Hourglass. If you need more details about the timeline of the Zelda games, visit one of the Zelda wikis (yes, there are two of them), or just hit Wikipedia itself, whichever you prefer.
Enjoy the reading!