Just a quick note: I know very little about this fandom. I have actually never played any of the games before... But I have cosplayed Vaati! And I have friends that are really into it, so I know the basics :)
I wrote this story for my friend Christina. So here's to you, Christina! -cheers- even though you've already read it! (She likes it ;D)
Okay, so, enough of my rambling. I hope you enjoy this! By the way, this is NOT from the point of view of the lighthouse like in the song.
Disclaimer: I do not own Nickel Creek's Lighthouse's Tale, nor do I own Legend of Zelda.
WARNING: Character death.
The Lighthouse's Tale
The sun shone beautifully over the horizon as the birds happily chirped, welcoming the new owners of the small cottage near the lighthouse. Blue eyes blinked away the bright light of the sun, surveying the place she would now call home.
"This is it…" she sighed, placing her small hand on her new husband's arm. "We will finally be happy together, away from everyone else…in our house by the sea."
Ever since Link had saved her from Ganondorf two years before, Zelda had realized that he cared for her more than anyone else ever would. When she realized that, at first, she was in denial, thinking that they were only childhood friends. But she began to notice him more. She noticed, for instance, how he constantly watched over her, even when there was no threat around. She also noticed how he would look at her differently than any other girl he saw in Hyrule. She realized that she looked at him the same way.
When he finally confessed his feelings to her, telling her how he couldn't stand the thought of being apart from her for even a moment, she gladly returned those feelings.
Not long after that, the two were engaged, informing her father that they would be moving to a cottage by the sea after their wedding. Because of Link's devotion to his daughter and the kingdom, he saw no reason to deny them their happiness.
She giggled as he smiled at her warmly.
"Yeah…I guess it is…" he muttered lovingly as he took her hand. "This is our new life…"
He gently led her into their new cottage, stopping to scoop her up into his arms at the threshold.
"I'm glad we're sharing it together." With that, he stepped into their new home, gently brushing is lips against her own.
"I love you, Zelda."
"Link, who do you think watches over the lighthouse?" asked Zelda, gazing through their bedroom window at the tower above the rocks.
"Hmm…" he smirked, rubbing her bare back and placing his chin on her shoulder. "I think it's unoccupied. The man at the market said that people from the town will go up there if the light goes out, though, to fix it. Other than that, though…" he placed a kiss on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Would you like to go on a date with me, Princess?"
She giggled turning to face him.
"To the lighthouse?" she mused, earning a small nod from her husband. She blushed lightly as she ran her hand through his silky blonde locks. She had always loved his beautiful hair…
"Are you ready?" Link called to his wife, who was still in their bedroom getting dressed.
She appeared at the door, smoothing down her light blue summer dress. "Yes, I just needed to fix myself up for our date!"
He smiled warmly at her. "And you look beautiful, my lady. Shall we?"
She giggled, reaching out for his extended arm.
The two climbed the small path from their cottage to the lighthouse. There was a door covered in vines at the back of the tower, which they soon found was the only entrance. After a bit of work, the door finally opened, revealing a short hallway with another two doors inside. The door directly in front of them led to the area that would serve as a home if anyone were to live there. The door to left led to the stairs.
"Oh, let's go inside!" she pleaded, slightly pushing Link towards the home.
He reached for the handle, which was surprisingly unlocked. The door creaked open to reveal a small bedroom, fireplace, and kitchen. It was a bit dusty from the lack of upkeep, but otherwise very beautiful. There were paintings of the sea on the walls and sea shells decorating the chairs and tables.
Zelda gasped as she entered the small ocean paradise, "Oh, Link! This is beautiful!"
He smiled as he watched her flutter about the room, inspecting everything in the house closely. "I'm glad you like it, Princess. We can come back here any time we want to."
She gushed, turning to face him once more. "I would love that!" She rushed forward to embrace him in a hug. He blushed slightly, stroking her hair.
After a while, they headed to the stairs. The door was opened pretty easily, allowing them to take the trek up the winding stairs that much quicker. Once they reached the top, there was another door.
"Are you ready?" he asked, turning the handle.
"I am! Let's see the view!" she exclaimed excitedly, clutching to his shirt from behind.
With that, he pushed open the door to reveal the beautiful sight of the sun setting on the ocean.
"Oh, Link…" she whispered breathlessly. "I've never seen anything more beautiful…"
"I have," he whispered, gazing at her intently. "Every day…"
She blushed and took his hand in hers, leading him to the edge of the tower, near the light. They sat down, their legs dangling over the edge. They gazed at the sun until it went down, sharing gentle kisses as the waves gently crashed upon the shore.
Weeks passed and the two were happier than ever. They spent their days making friends in the town and walking around the beach. Their nights were spent by the fire in their cottage or in the lighthouse, gazing at the sunset together. There was nothing more they could ask for.
One day, while Zelda was outside tending to her garden, a letter came from the king. She happily opened it, thinking her father must just miss her. As she suspected, the letter was filled with greetings and happy wishes from her father. However, at the very end of the letter was written that her father had found a new bride. He wanted her to meet the new queen as soon as she could.
She was a bit surprised, but supposed that it was about time for his father to find happiness again. She smiled, taking the letter to her husband.
Link was a bit less surprised, but still thought it was a wonderful idea.
"You should meet her." He stated, handing her back the letter. "As the princess, you should decide for yourself of this new queen is an acceptable ruler of your kingdom."
"I want you to come with me…" she muttered, placing the letter on the nearby table. "I think you should also meet her…"
He smiled sadly at her as he gently stroked her hair, "I would love to come with you, darling, but I think you need to meet her alone, without anyone's influence…even mine. This is important…"
She looked up at him sadly, but after thinking for a moment, agreed. She would sail the journey across the sea to her father's home the next morning.
That night, they once again climbed the tower and watched the sun set at the lighthouse.
"Just remember," he whispered, holding her hand and gazing out at the ocean, "As long as the light on this lighthouse is lit, you can always find your way back to me."
She smiled warmly at him, squeezing his hand as she whispered back "I will always come back to you."
The morning came, and the ship was set to go. Link held her close, whispering his love for her as she held back tears.
"Remember," he breathed into her hair, "you'll always be able to come back to me."
She smiled, kissing his lips one last time before boarding her ship. "I'll tell father you said hello!" She waved to him as the ship started off, happy that she wouldn't be gone for that long.
He watched from their cottage as her ship sailed farther and farther away, wishing he could be with her.
When the thunder roared not a minute later, he wished he was dreaming. His eyes widened and he watched warily as the clouds that had seemed so innocent before were suddenly dark and gloomy. How could he not have noticed? He should have been thinking about the possibility of a storm! He ran out of the cottage and to the shore, watching the waves crash into each other the father out to see they were. They were soon too tall for him to see over just standing on the shore. Where was Zelda's ship? Was it past the storm? No, she hadn't sailed that far yet!
Panic hit him and he ran the distance to the lighthouse, slamming the doors to the stairs open. He climbed the stairs three at a time, praying that he would be able to see her ship once he reached the top. He slammed open the door, panting loudly as he rushed to the edge, searching for his love's ship.
After a few minutes of searching, he finally caught sight of her ship, only to realize that it was in the middle of the storm. He watched intently, praying that she would get through okay. He watched helplessly as her ship was thrown about the ruthless waters, turning the boat around and forcing it back towards the way it came.
He watched in horror as the ship came closer and closer still, being ruthlessly shoved by the waves until she was near the lighthouse. Unable to do anything, he watched on helplessly as her ship finally dashed against the rocks.
"NO!" he screamed, rushing as if his life depended on it down back to the shore. He ran to the rocks, the rain and wind shoving him back. He fought against it all, stumbling and sliding down the rocks until he reached the place where her ship had crashed. By the time he got there, the ship had already been broken into pieces. There was only rubble and driftwood from the boat remaining in the raging sea.
He frantically splashed him way into the water, screaming his wife's name. He was knocked over by a large wave, crashing him against the rocks, turning his vision black.
Gentle waves licked at Link's face, waking him from his slumber. He groaned, pushing himself up, only then realizing that he was on sand. His eyes shot open, and he quickly realized that he had been knocked out by the waves and washed up on shore. He stumbled to get to his feet, panic once again rising in his mind once he realized that it was morning and the storm had long passed. He quickly ran back towards the ship wreck in front of the lighthouse. His breath stopped as he saw a figure lying in the sand. He rushed towards her, not caring enough to watch where he was going. He didn't care how many times he fell as long as he could get to her.
When he finally reached her, he dropped to his knees, pulling her into his arms.
"Z…Zelda. Hey, wake up." He gently brushed her hair out of her pale face. "Come on, darling, you need to get up… It's…it's morning." He didn't realize that tears has already started to flow down his face until one landed on her cold cheek. He shook her, unable to believe what he knew was real.
"No…" he whispered, clutching her to his chest. "NO!" his tears were not held back as he held his wife's lifeless form as close to him as he could. He sobbed, calling her name over and over again as he broke inside.
After a while, his tears ran dry. He sat there for hours, not able to remove himself from his love. Finally, after his eyes were dry and empty, he scooped her up and walked slowly back to the lighthouse. He placed her cold body on the sand and kissed her lips softly. "You came back to me," he whispered. "I promise…soon we will be together."
He was lifeless as he buried her in front of the lighthouse, in the sand.
He slowly stood up, making his way into the lighthouse. He climbed the stairs slowly, remembering all the times they had climbed the tower together. When he finally reached the top, he walked to the edge, peering down at his love once again.
And as he let himself fall over the edge, he smiled, knowing that they would soon be together once again.
~fin
