Well, what is this, then... An experiment, mostly.
If I choose to continue this series, I'll try to capture a few interesting moments of OoT from Link's perspective, trying to empathize with him... As the title says, it's going to be a glimpse, an impression of the world, both outside and inside of our hero.
This is a side-project to my main series Resurgence. If you like my style, feel free to check it out.
Impressions
Castle Town market
Getting inside had been surprisingly easy, though his heart still hammered in his chest…
All those walls, high as some of the mightier trees back home… but he had simply slipped inside, hiding amidst the throng of people. A mischievous grin formed on his face…
True, he thought as his feet almost stumbled over the unfamiliar feel of cobbles underneath, the large man in armour hadn't seemed all that attentive… but something told him that a boy of nine with a sword on his back would draw attention. At least that's what he thought…
Dear damnable Deku, this was maddening! He knew so very little! Next to nothing! All his life he had spent in the forest, a life that made sense… and now!? Paths and buildings of pure stone, weird, colourful clothes on people that were twice his height… Nothing made sense here! It would be disheartening… if it weren't that exciting!
He moved along the street, his feet automatically carrying him together with most of the crowd as he pondered, when suddenly…
He gasped as a sudden wall of sound hit him… his eyes darted to and fro, already watering because he refused to close them in fear of missing anything. After spotting a few stairs leading upwards he dashed towards them, hoping for a better view. His jaw dropped as he surveyed the spectacle ahead, his face pressed against the wooden banister.
So many people… hundreds… thousands! It wasn't often he had been able to use this word in the woods, but it seemed most appropriate now…
So many, hustling and bustling, shouting and calling, laughing and crying…
His people back home… no… not his people any more… The Kokiri had been a fewer than two dozen… and even then the forest had seemed crowded at times…
But now? A disbelieving laugh escaped his mouth… He hadn't thought there were this many people in the whole world, let alone one city! It frightened him… but intrigued him far more.
Stepping gingerly down from the stairs and back onto the street, he hesitantly made his way to the first stalls. His eyes turned wide at the marvels offered here, barely a tenth recognizable to him. Utensils, tools, toys even… those were familiar… But all the different kinds of food! The streamlet from the mountain had occasionally carried small fish… Here there were three dozen different kinds! And a few things that decidedly didn't look tasty at all! Things with entirely too many arms… or legs…
When the children of the forest found a deceased animal, they had meat for the day… Here, there seemed no end to poultry, game and uncountable other kinds…
Fruits! Some looked like they had just sprung from one of Mido's bad drawings! Vegetables in shapes he hadn't even thought possible!
A wide eyed, open mouthed boy strolled from stall to stall, dodging deftly between and under legs, trying to see, touch and smell everything at once… His little heart nearly burst from all the boundless excitement! So many new impressions, it made his head spin!
A kind lady that looked like a gnarled old tree and moved with similar speed smilingly offered him a kind of dried fruit he was unfamiliar with. He offered his thanks, as he had been taught, and the lady complimented his good behaviour. A sense of pride washed over him, though he couldn't quite say why… The fruit was tasty, both sour and sweet at once… he loved the smell it left on his fingers…
Warily, he tried to touch one of the many armed monstrosities offered by what he identified as a Zora, based on the Deku Tree's stories. No sooner than his finger had made contact with the disgusting, slippery skin, a slimy tentacle tried to reach for it twitchily. He pulled back his hand and stepped back so quickly he bumped head first into a red-faced Goron… but despite the back of his head being seriously jostled, the large rock-person didn't even seem to notice.
He passed a dark skinned woman with red hair who, with a scary sounding accent, offered him something called 'Elixirs' from a few jars with colourful contents… He decided to politely excuse himself.
Emboldened by his many discoveries, he sneakily ran his finger into a particularly intriguing looking mound of red powder and stuck it in his mouth… His surprise was almost as big as the lesson learned when his whole mouth started to burn like a forest fire and he had to sprint for the nearest fountain.
After he had washed his face for what seemed the hundredth time, trying to get the filthy taste of smoke out of his nose, he sat down on the colourful stone rim and just gazed at the crowd. The eager smile that hadn't flickered once since he had entered the market place turned a little calmer, more thoughtful, but no less sincere.
All those Hylians, all of them so very different. They were his people, apparently… It was obvious he was no Kokiri. He had always been different… He remembered them teaching him his first words, carrying him, feeding him… Then, suddenly, he had grown while they had stayed the same… He was already taller than some of them…It took no genius to figure it out…
He gazed at these people to whom he seemingly belonged. The enormous lady he had spotted twice before still searched for someone called Richard. A bent, old man with a beard like a weeping willow's branches spoke calmly about stories and legends to some children that had gathered around him. A strange couple, man and woman, were holding each other and twirling around endlessly, giggling like idiots, drawing head-shaking and good-natured scoffing from their surroundings.
He decided he liked them, those Hylians he supposedly belonged to. They were utterly mad and his instinct told him that there were a few bad apples among them… But all in all, they seemed friendly… and happy… and not at all boring. He already missed his friends from the forest… and being so far from the woods frightened him more than he cared to admit… But, he thought, this place didn't seem so bad.
A high, girlish laugh drew his gaze… and he nearly plopped backwards into the water, when he saw that a red haired girl had sneakily sat down beside him.
She giggled at his startled expression, but not in a taunting way… he felt his face warm up slightly.
"Hey, your clothes! They're… different…" she remarked, her head bobbing around as her blue eyes seemed to scrutinize every inch of him. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"Erm… well, err…" he stammered as he felt his cheeks turning even hotter. Great Deku Tree, he should have thought of something beforehand! Now he was going to look like a complete airhead! "I'm from… err…"
Pull yourself together!
"Sorry, I'm from the east. Far from here…" It wasn't the best explanation, but it'd have to do.
"Ohh… You're a fairy boy from the forest!" she cooed excitedly.
Deku sticks! I've been found out!... But then again, she didn't really seem to care all that much… "My name is Malon! My dad owns Lon Lon Ranch! What's yours?"
He had no idea what a 'Lon Lon Ranch' was, but… she seemed alright, he decided… a child, about his age… He could feel Navi vibrate warningly under his cap, but like a few times before, he chose to ignore it. He couldn't just mistrust everyone he met! That seemed stupid!
"I'm Link! Nice to meet you!" he introduced himself, trying to seem braver than he felt.
Malon grinned happily and he eagerly joined. His first friend in this new, enormous world outside!