Second Chapter's Re-Write.
...
"Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while... that is up to you."
I drop the ocarina so fast, one would think it were burning my hands. It wasn't burning, but it still hurt.
It rumbled a bit as it hit the floor, and all I could do was stare at it in disbelief.
"Well you're just careless. You're like my partner." Scolded Tatl.
I whip my head to the side but there is no such fairy friend there.
"Getting that old ocarina back isn't gonna help us!"
I don't even want it!
"What are you doing lost in memories? Get yourself together!"
"Somebody! Anybody! Goddess of Time, help us please!"
"Link!"
"Link! Hello?!" Fingers snap infront of my face. An irritated wife staring at me. "That looks like daydreaming to me, not unpacking."
I tilt my head down. I can't keep letting these things get to me. It's only an insturment, a pretty good replica of the one I used to have, it's not going to hurt me so why do I fear it?
"You know," She starts, this time in a much calmer tone. She forced my eyes to meet her's. "All kinds of towns folk are waiting to meet with you again, you should go talk with them."
I would have prefered a 'It will be okay', but I guess that will do.
I don't refuse, and I make my way to the door. Realizing she is not following, I stop and turn around. I lift my hand, questionably, but she speaks before I do.
"You head on out, I'm going to unpack a bit." Zelda says, lifting the first bit of clothing out of one of the bags. "I already spoke to some town people, but they are much more interested in you."
"A-are you sure you don't want any help?" I ask her. "It's really not fair to make you do all the-"
She gave me a slight smile as she unpacked the clothes. "Go on, I'll catch up in a bit."
Nodding my head, I turn back around and head out of the room.
...
I get stopped by towns people multiple times. They will ask basic things such as "How is Hyrule?", "What is life like now?", "How's your marriage going?". I get question after question, mainly small talk, and most people try to avoid asking what my actual mission to save them was really like. I'm greatful for that, it's not something I enjoy talking about.
Before I know it, they day has flown by. The dark sky is lit with torch light and stars. Authough not the night of the festival yet, many people are outside enjoying their day, drinking and such.
I check back at the Stock Pot Inn and notice Zelda is not in the room. I haven't seen her since this morning, but she is a very sociable person, I assume she is just out having fun with the towns folk as well.
I walk back downstairs just as someone I reconize is also heading out.
"Oh, hello Link!" Anju greets me. "Heading anywhere specific?"
"Just heading out to find my wife." I answer her.
"She's probably in the main part of town." She tells me. "Come with me, I'm meeting my husband there, anyways."
...
We arrive in the main part of town but Zelda is no where in sight. Right away, Anju finds Kafei and greets him with a heart-felt hug.
Kafei looks much older now. His apperance looks no older than mine but he is a bit taller than me.
The look like a much more appropriate couple now than they did seven years ago. Kafei had the body of a child, and Anju with the body of a grown woman. If you had not known about the curse placed on Kafei, you might have found their love for each other a bit disturbing. Even now, the age difference is still noticable, but not as dramatic.
"Kafei, please say hello to our hero, Link." Anju says to him.
His attention turns to me as he breaks away from her embrace. "Hello Link, it's been so long, hasen't it?" Kafei says with a slight smile.
"Um, yeah." I say, forcing a smile. A lot of people are looking at me, I find being out here in this crowd quite uncomforable.
"You know what," Anju says, smiling. "You guys go catch up and I'll find Zelda for you, Link!" She offers. I really could find her myself but if I turn down the offer, Zelda would have a fit, calling me unsocial and such.
I look up at the clock tower, just now remembering how loud it is when it moves. Something else catches my eye, I look past the tower and notice the moon up high in the sky, shining bright.
"Night of The First Day"
"Link!" Kafei startles me, bringing me back to reality. "Are you okay?"
I notice him look up into the sky as I had just been doing. I suppose he wanted to know what had been distracting me. Something clicked in his head as he whipped his attention back to me. "Why don't we get away from all of these people for a little while?"
I don't respond verbally, but I follow him through the crowd.
...
I follow him to the roof of the Milk Bar. It was a flat, fenced off area, and much like everywhere else in Clock Town, it had a perfect view of the Clock Tower.
"So, what has happened since you left?" Kafei asks, partically leaning over the fence.
I stare off into the skies again. "I put a stop to my adventuring."
"Had you saved the world often?" He jokingly asked.
"Once or twice before."
I feel his eyes on my face, and his tone grew more serious. "You're not kidding, are you?"
My silence seems to be a good enough answer for him.
"Isn't the hero suppose to be happy afterwards?" Kafei questioned, obviously confused.
"You would think so." I tell him. "I had thought that as well."
After a dark moment in silence, Kafei decideds to break it. "How's your marriage to the Princess going?"
"It's alright." I say to him.
"You know, you don't make very good conversation."
My eyes widen and I turn to him in surprise. Do I really sound that boring that someone has to point it out?
He laughs at me, which is another surprise. "Losen up, Link. You talk too formal."
"That's what happens when you're used to living in a castle."
"So you do live in the castle!" He says, eyes lighting up. "Is it nice? I mean, I've always been here in Clock Town, Hyrule must have it all compared to Termina."
"It's nice, looks wise." I tell him. "But I'd much rather something more rural."
"Ah, a rural type of guy, huh?" He nods. "I like it."
"Hm?" I glance over.
"Anyway," Kafei is quick to change the subject. "How's your wife? It must be a dream to be with a princess."
"Not exactly," I tell him. "I imagine it is much like any other marriage... Just with a bit more privlages."
"Privlages. As in getting everything you ask for?" He asks. He seems very interested in my life, but I guess most people in Termina are.
"Exactly." I answer. I don't really like focusing on myself a lot so I change the subject to him. "How's your life?"
Kafei hesitates, staring off into the distance. "It could have been better." He finally states. "There is a lot of disagreements between Anju and I... On top of relationship struggles, my father is wanting me to take over as mayor."
This situation sounds all too familliar.
"Mayor?" I question him. "Try being King."
"There is a lot on your plate as well," He states. "I should have known... Though, we have quite a bit in common, Link."
I smile and nod, agreeing with that statement. I never really have had much in common with anyone, but Kafei and I have much. With the struggles we are going through now with relationship and future work, and also the fact that he was forced into the body of a child, where as I had been placed in the body of an adult. Both were sudden and had major life-changing events because of it.
The cold of the night air kicks in, I shiver at the slight breeze.
"She wants kids." Kafei is yet again to break some silence.
Insted of staring off into space, I look at Kafei. "And... You?"
"I don't know... Erm- I mean it would be great, but," His face saddens as he tilts his head downwards. "It's so basic. Everybody expects it. It is just a lot of pressure." His shifts his position to turn and face me. "Grow up, find a girl, get married, have children and then die. That's how life is suppose to be, right?" It feels like he's almost venting to me about this.
He's staring at me straight in the eyes. The more that I look at him, the more I can see that he doesn't just seem sad, Kafei must be depressed about something. He continues to desperatly look at me, searching for some sort of answer.
"Your life can be whatever you want it to be." I try to reasure him, even without knowing the root of his problem.
"I wish somebody would have told me that seven years ago." He smiles, but it seems a little strained. "Um, Link. Could I ask you something?" Kafei questions.
I nod.
"Have you... Ever had regrets about getting married?" He asks me.
This is the biggest surprise I've ever heard. On my adventure here seven years ago, I have never seen a couple share a love like Anju and Kafei had. The couple that had risked their everything just to be together for that morning as the moon crashed down, for them to die together, is he telling me they are no longer in love?
Then again, Zelda and I had gotten along so much better before we got married. I had never really thought much of any girl until I started really talking with Zelda. It felt life a fairytale, but stories grow old fast and sometimes I feel as if my relationship with Zelda should have remained a teenage dream.
"I have," I tell Kafei. "and even now, sometimes I'm not sure if I had made the right choice."
Kafei looks as if he was soaking every word I spoke in. It was almost as if he was trying to make an answer to his problem from what I said.
"I felt as if I had made a mistake when I married Anju." He states. His eyes quickly widen and he is fast to back that statement up. "Not that there is anything wrong with her! I love Anju, I really do. There is just... Something else..."
He doesn't seem to want to dig any deeper on his part, so I change the subject to mine. "Relationships are hard." I tell him. "I've never had a stable relationship with anybody. With all traces of family gone and with all the traveling I've done, I've never stuck around anyone very long to know how to be close." I confess, but it feels like I needed to hear myself say it more than I wanted Kafei to hear it.
"Well, if you ever need to talk to anybody, I'll always be open, Link." Kafei tells me.
"Thanks." I tell him. It means a lot to know someone is willing to hear what I'd have to say.
...
I enter the Stock Pot Inn and make my way up the stairs. It has become very late now, and I'm hoping that Zelda found her way to the room, assuming she picked up the set of spare keys. I barely got to see her today, but knowing her, she was probably chatting up a storm to people.
I twist the door knob to see that it is already unlocked. Zelda must be inside. I enter the room as well.
The room is quite dark but I can see that Zelda has one lanturn going. I take it upon myself and put a flame in another lanturn near the door.
"Link," Zelda says my name. She had been sitting on a bed but turned around on it to face me. "I think we should talk about something."
She seems more serious than usual, but her voice doesn't sound angry. Not angry, but doesn't exactly sound happy either.
I sit down on the bed next to her, accepting whatever conversation she wants to have.
"Don't think me rude but I did overhear a certain part of your conversation with Kafei." She admits to me. Tears begin to swell up in her eyes. "If you regret marrying me then I see no point to continue our relationship as so." Zelda wipes her eyes with the rim of her sleeve. "I'll have arrangements for us to return to Hyrule tomorrow, we can discuss the divorce then."
My heart sinks in my chest as I hear the word 'divorce'.
"Zelda, you must have took all this the wrong way! I had not said that I wanted-"
"Please go to bed, Link." She interupts me, moving to put out the flame in the lanturns.
"Zelda, I-"
"Link, please." Her voice sounds strained, she is holding back tears.
Zelda crawls into bed but I remain sitting on it. How could me just talking to an old aquaintant have such a nasty turn on the rest of my life? Sure, Zelda and I have had our ups and downs, especially lately, but that doesn't mean I don't love her anymore.
There is no way I could just go to sleep like this. Not with this horrible guilt and a heart broken wife lying next to me. Goddess, if only I could rewind and just not have said the things I had.
Through the dark, I could make it out with the dim light there was. It shinned bright even on the darkest of nights. Helped me through a lot but I wanted nothing to do with it after my adventures were over.
I stand up, and that slightly shakes the bed that Zelda had been resting on. "I'm just going to go get some fresh air." I tell her.
...
I arrive on the Stock Pot Inn's balcony to try and clear my mind. Clock Town is pretty quiet now. It's only a few hours until sunlight.
'Dawn of The Second Day'
No, stop that. It's not even my second day here yet!
I shake my head to try and prevent more of these thoughts. These stupid thoughts come and go as they please. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and live like it all never happened. I don't want to play hero anymore.
If I could save the world as a child, I'm sure someone else can save it too.
I pull the ocarina out of my pocket, I had slipped it in before leaving the room. Twisting and turning it in every which way, I examine the instrument carfully.
This one little insturment has helped me out countless times. It's telepoted me, sped up my day, changed weather, healed souls, reversed time-
Reversed time...
Hesitating, I place my lips against the mouth piece. I've played the Song of Time so many times, I do believe it is implanted into my memory.
If I could just go back to this morning...
...
Morning light hit my eyes. Towns people are busy preparing for the up coming festival. For only being six a.m, this place is very busy.
"Wha- What just happened? Everything has... Started over."
I freeze.
Confused and scared, I take a look at my surroundings. This is a set up that is all too familliar.
"No," I say under my breath. "This isn't happening."
Finally, I can seriously believe it when my brain recites the line,
Dawn of The First Day
72 Hours Remain