I noticed that few people know about Koholint, and Marin. So here's a story about Link returning there, and his amazing adventures on the island of dreams.
Chapter One
How many years? Maybe...no, he'd all but forgotten, lost count, something of that sort. He never remembered his dreams. And maybe, in this case, he wasn't remembering his reality either. He was tired as well, it wasn't helping. Every sleep now, for the past week had been disturbed, restless, troubled. He lay over on his stomach, rubbing his hands together. Nothing. He rolled out of bed, landing steadily on the floor. Cold.
"This is ridiculous. I need my rest," he muttered. "Even heroes need sleep." Link grimaced, tracing the dark ringlets under his eyes with the tip of his fingers.
He crawled back into his bed, melting into it's inviting warmth. He drifted off quickly, dozing in and out of that same curious partial slumber....
The air was sticky and moist. Link licked his lips. Salty. Cool ocean breezes rolled in from the sea. He was standing on a towering cliff, cut sharply into a mountain. Seagulls soared through the endless blue sky, speaking in their own tongue. Clouds of the purest white were scattered all about him, the sun a gleaming, golden ball. Just as it always looked. Everything was exactly the same. Only here, could he see such perfection and not be overcome with shock. And only here, could he remembered all that happened so long ago, at Koholint. And all that happened so long ago, with Marin.
That Ballad...the one she always played for him. It echoed in every breeze, every movement of the island. Marin's sweet, ringing voice blending into it. Link shivered, trying to etch the scene into his mind. He knew what would happen all to well now. Soon, he'd awake and remember nothing of Koholint, of Marin, of this dream...
"But it's not a dream," he whispered under his breath, "Somehow...this is real. I mean, Koholint it's..."
"The island of dreams."
Link whirled around to see Marin facing him. Her hair spread evenly over her shoulders, the same fiery red as he remembered. A single orchid adorned her head, her dress was simple, pure white, with just the slightest hint of rose. Her eyes, of the deepest midnight blue...they made Link feel overwhelmed, like he could lose himself in them forever.
"Marin..." he breathed, reaching out his hand to touch her, to see if she was truly there.
"No," she backed up, putting her hand defensively ahead of her. "Link, I've called you here all these nights for a reason. You must return to me. Come back to Koholint, Link. We need you." The wind blew freely about her, seeming to caress her in its folds.
"I don't know how..." Link's chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Yes you do," Marin narrowed her eyes, her lips setting into a firm line. "Link, come back to Koholint. You must..." she pleaded.
"But...I don't know the way..."
"Just return Link, only on a wave of dreams can you return..."her voice trembled, still full and clear. She pulled the orchid from her hair, and intertwined it with Link's fingers. He grasped it tightly, rubbing the delicate powder from its petals.
"I can't Marin I..."
"You must help us Link! Help us! Help me! Help my island..." hot tears caressed her warm, pink cheeks. "You just must come back to me...."
"I...I..." Link blinked his eyes. He was covered in a cold sweat, his bangs matted to his forehead. He ran a hand through his dampened hair, no salty ocean winds, not even the faintest breeze. "I knew it. What happened?" his mind was a blank. He knew he'd dreamt of something significant, that he needed to remember. He glanced down at his bed, thoroughly aggravated.
"Why? Why do I always forget? Damn it, I need my sleep!" he growled. "What the-?" An orchid was grasped tightly in his hand, flattened against his smooth, sticky palm. He had been holding onto it with such a great amount of strength, of force that it was almost imbedded there. Links piercing eyes flickered with sudden vibrance.
"Marin!" he gasped, collapsing back on to his bed with awe.
Every night he'd returned to Koholint, and every morning he'd awake, sweating, afraid, and with not a single recollection of what had happened. Now he remembered. Koholint was in danger, and Marin needed him once more.
Marin...the one to whom he owed his life, his existence at that very moment. He would return to her, this he knew. But how?
"I'd all but forgotten about Koholint," he murmured, splashing his face with icy water from a basin. He shook his head, spraying droplets about the room.
On a wave of dreams...
"What did she mean?" Link sighed, propping himself up on his elbows.
Many nights passed, all restless, and yet Link did not return to Koholint. He found that he was growing irritable from the lack of sleep, and he spent his days pondering his path back to the island. Somehow he had to return. He groaned, rubbing his eyes, tossing in his fitful slumber.
"For the life of me, I just can't understand..."he mumbled. Link carefully drew out the orchid from beneath his pillow, pressing it on his palm, breathing in its scent, its very essence. Koholint. He longed to go back, more then ever. To experience it all once again, and the fact that he could not was infuriating.
"I know how to go there, I know the path to Koholint. All I have to do is dream myself there. All I have to do is let..." he faltered, "....is let my spirit return." He sighed, feeling utterly helpless, trapped in his world, and unable to reach any others. He closed his eyes, recalling the view from the cliffs, the scent of the salty sea air, the sounds of the gulls whispering to each other, and the sight of Marin, singing in her dulcet voice, while playing her harp.
He never knew just how long a night could last. That a mere eight hours could seem like an eternity. As he struggled to recall each memory from the deep recesses of his mind, he found himself drifting....
Cool winds...
Then nothing. If he could just recall one more memory...pull himself back...
The moistened sand beneath his feet.
It faded. He would go back soon...if only...
The pastoral splash of the waves against the beach.
So very clear...and then gone. Not now...he was almost there....
A lustrous corral piece, washed onto the shores.
Link reached down, wincing at his every movement for fear that he would soon be whisked back into his bed. And with the lightest of touches he picked up the shell. He was back in Koholint.
"Looks the same as always," Link whispered. "Just as it has these past nights. I'd better find Marin..." He placed the shell back down, burying it into the sand. It felt coarser then usual, less silky.
"You came back. I knew you'd find the path."
Link spun on his heels. "I got lost, sorry," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes. He knew who was speaking to him, after all this time he still remembered her voice, so mellifluous and songlike.
"You just took the long way around," she placed a graceful hand on his strong shoulder, gently turning him about so she could see him. "Link, you didn't forget me..."
"Never Marin, how could I?" he spoke softly.
"And my song...." she continued in a hushed whisper.
"I remember it."
Marin stroked his hair, running her delicate elfin fingers through the thick blond strands.
"You've not changed, Link. I knew you wouldn't...." she paused, allowing a light smile to grace her lips, "I knew you couldn't. And Link, I know you will be our savior. You are the only one who can help my island."
"I...I just can't...I don't know...want..."he broke off, "What happened?"
Marin put a single finger to her lips, signaling for him to be silent. "Now is not the time, later I shall tell you." She stood, very still, her hands clasped together behind her back. "Link, I'm so glad you came back to me." Her eyes welled with the trace of tears.
"Me too Marin, me too," Link wrapped his arms around her, trying to provide what little solace he could.
"I've been waiting so long, far too long," she murmured, her words barely audible.
"I know, Marin. I'm sorry."
"I kept waiting, just waiting every day for you to come back. For you to...to come and take me away from this island, so I could see what life is like away from here!" she pulled back, breaking away from Link. "And you never did," she finished bitterly, ever so softly.
"I'm sorry..." He'd never thought it possible to forget Marin. Many days he'd spent, fantasizing of the day when he would go back for her. Her determined spirit, her whimsical nature, everything about her had thrilled him. And yet, somehow he'd forgotten her. Until now. Until these past nights.
"You brought me three things in my lifetime that I thought I'd never experience," she said quietly, "The first was fear. My island was pure before you came, it was safe. Yet when you arrived, strange creatures followed, monsters and demons roamed our shores, and Link, I was afraid."
"Secondly, you gave me spirit. Suddenly, I felt the need for adventure, the need to prove that I was courageous. Never before had I wanted that in the least, and yet with you, I needed it."
"And last Link, last you gave me love," she pressed her lips together, staring through him with a longing, so intense... "So when you left me, I felt like I was half a person. Like I only had part of my soul."
"You gave me that too, Marin," he sighed.
Marin shook her head. "I shouldn't be saying this now. You must be weary from your many nights without rest."
"Funny, but I no longer feel tired in the least," he shivered.
"Come on, we'll go to the cliffs. There, I'll tell you of the fate of Koholint, and of its people," Marin beckoned for him to follow her, as she scrambled up the steep rocks.
"You can see the whole island from here," Link breathed. He sat down firmly on the edge of the cliff atop.
"Only from here, can you see the whole world," Marin whispered. "All that ocean, it connects us all, no matter where we are. And all those stars, everyone, everywhere is staring at the same ones."
Link nodded vaguely, his clearest memories of Koholint took place where he was now. With Marin, looking at the night sky, telling her of places beyond her wildest dreams.
"Marin, why did you call me here?"
"I'm not sure. I sense an impending trouble of some sort, Link. Everyone else, even my father...they think I have an over active imagination," she rolled her eyes, "But I sense it. My island is in great danger, and I just know that you are the only one who can save us."
"You called me here on whim?"
"Well, I suppose. But it's not really a whim. I know we're in trouble, I'm sure of it." Marin sighed. Never before had he seen her like this, so disconsolate and melancholy. And it distressed him, greatly.
"Marin, I've always trusted you. Everything you say always seems to come true. You say no one believes you, but you're wrong," he placed his hand on her arm, "I do."
She leaned over, resting her head on his chest. "And will you save us?"
"I'll try, I promise to try."
"That's all you can do. I don't expect anything more," she murmured. "Tell me, what is Hyrule like now?"
"Same as always, I guess," he stated, "not to exciting."
"Don't be ridiculous. Your land sounds amazing, absolutely fascinating! Someday I'll leave here, and I'll never come back. I'll live in a vast world, where I'm free to go where ever I want..." she sighed dreamily. "I've always yearned for life away from this island, since I was ever so small...I don't recall ever enjoying my life on Koholint. It was always, when can I leave? When can I escape and truly live?"
Her every word captivated him, drawing him into her thoughts and soul.
"Marin, will you sing for me?" Link grinned at her.
She blushed, allowing a smile to cross her lips, "Well, alright."
Marin's voice was undescribable, so harmonious, so seraphic. It was rich, full of a vibrance he'd only heard in his dreams. She stopped abruptly, and began to giggle.
"That was a strange request."
"Hey, I'm a strange person," Link chuckled.
"To me, Link. You're only one thing," the smile faded from her mouth, "You're utopian." She tapped his nose and stood up. She had a trait that he'd often longed to possess. And that was devotion, pure and simple.
More coming! Hopefully soon...