This was originally meant to be a oneshot, but I decided to make it into a three chapter short. Rate from 1 to 10 if you don't mind. If you rate low then tell me how I could have improved.
Fulfilling A Need
Chapter 1
More Than Happy
Link slowed his small red boat in front of a familiar island beside Outset. He reached up to the sail, detached it, folded it up into a triangle, then set it on the flooring of the boat. He looked up as his boat skidded to a stop in front of the short coast of Headstone Island.
The reason he was here was to give the rito girl, Medli, a visit. He didn't know why he wanted to, the boy just thought that she must be lonely and would appreciate to see someone. Someone to talk to, someone to give her company for a little while, and that someone was the green clad hero. Another reason was to make sure she still had some good food to eat. He gave her a whole bag full of fruits before he left her five days ago. She must have been running low by now.
The green clothed boy vaulted over the boat side, making it rock in a slow fluid motion in response. Link landed ankle deep in the salty ocean blue water and looked at his surroundings. Nothing really important, just large rocks to the left and the right and some tall grass here and there. Ahead was the entrance to the earth temple hidden in the rocks.
Link began his walk toward the entrance, enjoying the cool wind blowing toward the south. It was very refreshing considering the temperature was on a little on the warm side. He took his cap off a moment to let the wind ruffle through his hair as he stepped up a small stone step in front of the cavern entrance. As he entered the cave, the wind stopped and Link put his cap back on his head. But it was cool inside the enclosure making Link a little more content.
"Link?"
The boy looked ahead and to his surprise, it was the person he was looking for. Medli. She still wore the same robe with that golden harp instrument strapped to her back. She never left it lying around, no matter where she was. Medli looked a bit surprised to see her reliable friend standing in the cave entrance. He looked rather tired but was still wearing a smile that the Rito was happy to see.
"Link! That is you!" Medli exclaimed, running up to him in the process.
Link noticed that she was actually running, not caring about anything else other than getting to him. She must have been more than lonely the way she was acting. The boy was expecting her to stop pretty soon but instead she threw out her arms and wrapped them around the green capped boy. A bit startled by the sudden hug that nearly knocked him off his feet, he returned the favor with a hug of his own.
"What are you doing here?" the Rito girl asked, letting Link loose of her sudden embrace. "I thought you were going to find the other sage. Or did you find him already?"
Link nodded in response.
"So is the power restored to the master sword?" Medli continued.
Link nodded again and unsheathed the master sword and held it out for Medli to see. She took it carefully and smiled. "Yes. I can feel the power of light inside of it." Medli handed it back to Link with care.
Link took the sword and sheathed it back into its place on his back behind his mirror shield. He looked back at Medli to see her look more concerned.
"You look tired, are you alright?"
It was true. Link was sailing all night and didn't get any sleep. He wanted to get to Headstone Island as soon as he could so he sailed straight from Forest Haven without any stops. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide his weariness.
"Let's go outside," Medli suggested. "I haven't been out in a while."
Medli made her way past Link and walked toward the exit the sun beamed through. She seemed eager to get out of the drafty cavern and into the sunlight so Link decided to obey and followed her out. As Link's eyes readjusted to the sunlight, he saw Medli sit down on the stone step out in front of him. He sat down right beside her and looked out into the same ocean she was looking at.
Medli closed her eyes as she felt the wind blow through her hair. "I haven't been out here ever since we went into the temple." She opened her graciously opened her eyes and looked over at Link. He was still looking out into the ocean, looking like he had something on his mind. She just left it alone and enjoyed the moment she was having. She actually had someone to talk to other than herself so she didn't really mind.
A few minutes of near silence passed. The sound of the ocean and the occasional seagull was the only thing that was making noise.
"I'm glad to see your still alright."
Medli stunningly looked over at Link. "Finally, I was beginning to think something happened to your voice since you left a week ago."
Link let out a small chuckle, "Yeah." A few moments later he continued, "You were right."
"About what?" Medli asked, looking back at the ocean in the short distance.
"I didn't realize it until you said it. I'm exhausted," Link answered, rubbing his eyes.
"Well . . . when was the last time you got some sleep?"
"I don't know," Link shrugged and thought back the best he could. "Two days ago, before I entered the wind temple."
"Well no wonder!" the Rito mildly exclaimed. "Link you need to get some sleep! Your pushing yourself too hard! Why didn't you get any sleep after you restored the master sword?"
"Well," Link began but couldn't think of anything. He only sighed.
"You didn't rush yourself to come see me did you?" Medli asked in a more serious tone.
"Well I err . . .-" the boy unintentionally scratched the back of his head.
Medli looked back over at her friend in astonishment, "You did, didn't you?"
Link only nodded, not seeing any other way out of the situation. "I guess I did."
He was expecting to get an earful after that statement, but nothing ever happened. The only thing Medli did was show a grin of appreciation. "Thank you." She found herself staring at the green clothed boy for a few moments before snapping back to reality. "But your going to have to return the favor for tiring yourself out like you did."
"Return the favor?" Link dug in his tunic pockets and retrieved an item he happened to come across on his way to the island. "Will this do?"
Medli looked down at Link's hand to see a golden feather in his grasp. "Well that wasn't what I had in mind," Medli stated as she took the feather with gratitude. "But still, thanks." She looked at the feather for a good while, lost in a daze of beauty. The feather was so pretty that she could just stare at it all day.
"Hey, you alright Medli?"
Medli shook herself out of her daze, "Oh yeah." She put the feather away in one of her hidden pockets in the robe.
"So are we good?" Link asked, putting his hands on the back of his head.
Medli looked back at Link, "Well . . . not really."
Link put his hands back down on his lap, "What do you mean?"
The girl looked over at Link expectantly, "I mean, I won't be satisfied until you get some sleep."
Link raised an eyebrow, "So . . . what? You want me to spend the night here?"
"It's your choice Link. If you want to then I won't mind."
Link looked back over at Medli. She was looking down toward the sand avoiding eye contact with him. But he could tell that she wanted him to stay. He didn't have to look into her eyes to see that. He was, after all, behind on sleep and could use a place to rest.
So Link showed a smile, "Okay. I'll stay."
"What?" Medli looked back at Link, surprised at the answer. "You . . . you mean it?"
The boy nodded, "I certainly do."
Medli showed a familiar smile and wrapped up Link in her arms. "Aw thank you Link."
"You certainly are more affectionate today," Link chuckled, returning the favor of the girl's hug.
"Well . . . I haven't really seen an actual living being in quite some time."
"That's true," Link replied as Medli let Link go. "So where do you usually sleep at?"
Medli shifted positions uneasily, "Well, it's kind of hard to sleep on a temple floor so I can't really say I got my eight hours last night. I tried sleeping on my wings but after a while they got sore so I had to stop."
"Sounds like you got it rough," Link stated.
"I'm sorry," Medli apologized. "I should have thought about that before I asked you to stay with me."
Link thought about the situation for a moment. Medli crossed her legs as she looked down in thought herself. She thought and thought but couldn't come up with anything worth telling. If Link had to sleep on the hard tiled floor then he would be better off pulling another all nighter, which definitely was not a good idea. She could see the exhaustion on his face. His eyes were baggy and his face seemed sluggish. Yet, he still seemed lively and ready to help anyone who asked for it.
Then Link snapped his fingers which brought Medli to his attention, "I got it! I live on Outset Island which is west of here. It's not that far away. Anyways, I got some camping equipment I could bring over."
Medli frowned, "How long will you be gone?"
"An hour tops," Link assured. "Do you still got some food or do you need me to bring over some more?"
"More would be nice," Medli responded. Link looked over at her to see a deep frown, something he didn't want to see.
"I promise I'll come back," Link reassured.
"And I'll be waiting," Medli answered.
Fifty Minutes Later
With the wind blowing in the direction Link commanded it, he made his way back to Headstone Island as fast as his boat, the King of the Red Lions, would let him. It seemed as if the king wasn't with Link at the moment for some reason. Maybe he was busy looking after Princess Zelda?
He managed to fit the camping equipment into the small boat all in one go. There wasn't any room to maneuver his feet due to the small space, but he would manage. It wasn't that far away anyways so he didn't mind one bit, especially since he was helping out a friend.
A flock of seagulls made themselves known to Link by cawing as they flew above the mast of his ship. He looked up long enough to shoo them away with his sword so he could worry about getting to the island. He didn't want to be cleaning up their excrement off the deck of his boat.
As soon as the seagulls left on to their business, Link went to his. He looked ahead to see Headstone Island coming into view. He turned the sail so he would be heading toward the back of the island where the short coast was. As soon as the coast came into view, he saw Medli standing on the beach. She seemed to be standing tall with her eyes closed as the wind, which was now blowing east, ruffled through her hair. As soon as Link made landing onto the coast, Medli opened her eyes to see her friend hopping over the side of his boat.
"Link!" Medli cried out as she ran over toward him.
Link turned around and was expecting another hug that could knock him off his feet. Surprisingly, Medli managed to stop before she collided into Link with another hug.
"I told you I was coming back didn't I?" Link said as he retrieved the gear he brought from the boat.
"I knew you would," Medli replied, putting her hands together behind her back. "So where did you get this stuff from?"
Link put a large bundle of sturdy sticks and a thick orange fabric onto the ground in front of her then answered, "My grandma made it for me and my sister so we could go camping at night. Oh, that reminds me." Link dug through his tunic long enough to retrieve a glass bottle filled with some sort of orange liquid. He offered it to Medli in which she accepted.
"Feels warm," Medli indicated. "What is it?"
"My grandma's homemade soup."
Link retrieved two sleeping bags his grandma also made for them. It was originally for him and his sister, Aryll. But they could make an exception. The sleeping bags were basically made of a thin, blue smooth fabric. It was the same fabric that his grandma made his tunic and cap with. Inside the sowed together fabric was cotton. He took his pillow from his bed as well as Aryll's. He knew she wouldn't mind. He tossed them on top of the future tent and grabbed something else from the boat. A bag filled with various fruits and food for them to eat later on. It also contained a few bottles filled with his Grandma's famous soup. One last thing he brought was a bundle of sticks for a fire, just in case. He left them in boat for now.
"What's all of that?" Medli asked, referring to the pile of equipment
Link set the bag down beside him and answered, "It's the tent. You never seen a tent before?"
Medli slightly shook her head in embarrassment, "I've never been camping before."
"Oh really?" Link went in slight surprisal.
"It's just I've never seen any other islands other than Dragon Roost."
"Well to tell you the truth, I've never been to any of the islands before my sister was kidnapped. Maybe I can take you to Outset once this is all over."
Medli smiled in approval, "That would be just great."
"So where do you want me to set up the tent? Outside or inside?"
"Outside please," Medli eagerly answered.
"Oh yeah, I shouldn't have asked that."
Medli expressed a short giggle, "Thanks for doing this for me."
"It isn't a problem at all," Link mirthfully replied.
It didn't take that long for Link to set up the tent for the two of them. He set it up a few feet away from the ocean then threw the sleeping bags inside for later. He put the bagful of food just outside the tent for later. He put the firewood he retrieved from the boat on the other side of the tent for now.
"That should be everything," Link pointed out, looking at everything to make sure. "Yeah that looks like everything."
Medli looked up into the sky to try to tell what time it was. She guessed out loud, "Sun is starting to set."
Link looked up a quick second to see for himself. He saw the skies beginning to have an orange tint to it then replied, "Yeah, that's what it looks like."
Medli turned toward Link and watched him for a moment. He crawled into the tent and unrolled one of the sleeping bags. The tent was an average size, the entrance was kind of small though. There was more than enough room for both of them to peacefully sleep inside.