Chapter Two: Meetings and Greetings

I sat on the bed, legs dangling over the side. This was it. Yup. I was finally gonna drink it. I pulled the cork out of the Red Potion bottle and sniffed it, making a face. It smelled of herbs and something else I couldn't place. But whatever it was, it was strong.

It'd been maybe an hour or so since Link had left and I'd been trying to muster up the courage to drink that potion. But I just couldn't do it. I've never liked taking medicine if I could help it. But I still had to do it, otherwise I wasn't going to get anywhere.

I took a deep breath and plugged my nose, downing the potion in a few gulps. I quickly grabbed the glass of water nearby and drained almost all of that, too.

Link came in just as I set the glass down on the table. He had an amused look on his face as he watched me. "So? You feel better?"

"Yeah...But that potion tasted awful. Like dirt and some kind of herbs...and more dirt." I said, wrinkling my nose and taking another sip of water.

"You get used to the taste of it after a while." He said, grinning a little as he helped me up to my feet.

"Okay. If you say so." I grinned a little myself. I couldn't imagine anyone getting used to the taste of that. "So what are we doing now?"

"I told the mayor that if you were feeling better, I'd bring you by. He'd like to meet you and discuss a few things."

Discuss? Was I in trouble already? I'd only been here less than a day. And I'd been asleep for most of it! I lowered my gaze to the floor. "Oh...I hope I'm not causing some sort of trouble here...I didn't mean to come here...really..."

Link shook his head. "No, you're no trouble at all, Amanda. We just want to sort things out here and help you get back home, that's all." He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "The mayor is a good man. He and his daughter Ilia intend to help you in any way they can. And so do I."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't worry so much, okay? Everything will work out."

I just smiled and nodded again. I felt bad. If only I could warn these people what was going to happen to their children...to this place where they lived...to this world...but I knew I couldn't. I had to let things take their course and focus on getting home as soon as possible. There just wasn't anything I could do.

Link waved a hand in front of my face. "Amanda...hello...are you in there?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." I blinked. "Just...thinking about something, that's all."

"You want to head to the village now?"

"Sure." I agreed. "Can I kind of freshen up, though, first?" I felt grimy. Probably from the spring water yesterday. You never know what's been in those things.

"Of course. There's a mirror down the hall there and a wash basin and soap over here by the sink." He jumped up and tugged a cloth down from one of the clotheslines, handing it to me. "I'll just meet you outside. Take your time and come out when you're ready."

I took the cloth from him and folded it in my hands. "Thank you. I'll try to hurry."

Link nodded and headed outside, leaving me to clean myself up. I walked down the hall to where the ladder was and glanced at myself in the mirror. My dark hair was curly, frizzy, and completely out of control thanks to the dunking I got the day before. The rest of me didn't look too bad, though. But it wouldn't hurt to wash my face and such, anyway.

I quickly scrubbed my face, neck, and hands with the cloth and soap I'd been given. I felt better. But there was no telling if I could fix my hair. I matted my hair down with a little bit of water and combed it carefully with my fingers. I glanced back up after I finished. It was better...but still kind of frizzy. I decided to just give up while I had the chance and headed out the front door to meet Link.

I climbed carefully down the ladder and jumped the last few steps. Link was standing on near path, arms crossed. Out in this light, I got a better look at him. He was taller than me, but only by about two or three inches. He looked like he was in pretty good shape, too. His sandy blond hair covered parts of his face at times, giving him almost a dangerous look. But his blue eyes held a trace of mischievousness that made him look more boyish than dangerous. Not to mention he was the spitting image of the Hero of Time. I swear he looked exactly like the old drawings from Ocarina of Time. Well, except more realistic...and you know, stuff.

"Hmm?" He glanced at me. "What's the matter?"

I shook my head. Get a grip, Amanda. You won't be here that long. And you have a boyfriend, anyway. "No, nothing." I said. "So...where's the village?"

Link gave me a confused glance. "It's just down this path here." He said, leading the way.

I followed Link from his house and down a path that was barely a quarter of a mile. As the embankment around us began to slope downwards, I saw the gates to the village. It was a charming place, with beautiful sloping hills, and a small river that ran through the middle of it. The fragrance of flowers, smoke and earth filled the air and the chatter of the villagers drifted on the breeze.

"It's nice isn't it?" Link said when he saw me surveying the village.

I grinned up at him. "I haven't stepped foot in the village and I already like it!"

"Ordon will do that to you. Come on. I'll introduce you to some of the villagers. There's been a lot of talk about you going around. Especially among the younger ones, so I'm sure they'll be glad to meet you."

"Do I want to know what about?" I asked, eyebrows raised, as Link steered me down the village path.

"Not really." He replied with a slight grin.

We stopped near a large rock, where Rusl was practicing sword moves. He glanced at us then sliced horizontally twice, twirling his sword with ease and sheathing it. Ah. So that's where Link got that move. Pretty impressive. I'd probably drop the sword on someone's foot if I tried something like that.

"Nice to see you on your feet, young lady." Rusl said with a kind smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you." I replied. "That's some pretty impressive swordsmanship."

"Rusl is the village expert on swordplay." Link added. "He's been teaching me for some time now. Though I broke my wooden sword in the last practice."

"Ah. Is that what he brought to you today?"

Rusl nodded. "Yes. Though Link here probably needs a sturdier sword made out of better materials. Wooden swords won't hold up to much."

Wait...that doesn't make any sense, though, now that I think about it...Wasn't Link supposed to get it tomorrow when he got the slingshot?

"Link!" A bunch of little voices yelled from behind us, interrupting my thoughts. I turned and looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, two boys, and one girl came running up. The tallest one was a girl, who I assumed to be Beth, and the other two must be Malo and Talo. Hey, you never know. I could be wrong. Their names could be Rainbow, Sunshine, and Pixie Dust for all I know.

"We've been looking for you!" The middle one said excitedly. "Guess what comes in the shop tomorrow?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "It's already in the shop, Talo." She said with an exasperated tone. "we just won't be able to see it until tomorrow."

"Yeah, whatever, but guess, Link, guess!"

Rusl chuckled and I had to cover up my widening smile. Does this kid ever slow down?

Link exchanged amused glances with me and Rusl and laughed a little. "C'mon Talo, don't make me guess now. You know I'm no good at guessing games."

"Beth's parents got a slingshot! It just came today!" Talo was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. "It's so cool!"

"That does sound neat..." Link agreed thoughtfully, looking like he was seriously considering taking a peek at it. "Anyway. I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Amanda. She's the one who-"

"Are you the one that fell from the sky?" Talo asked, completely forgetting about the slingshot.

I wish I'd fallen from the sky. That would've been so much less painful then the jagged rocks of that cliff. "Actually it was from the cliffs above the spring, but yes, I am."

"I'm Talo. This is my brother Malo."

"So you're the one everyone has been talking about." The little boy next to Talo piped up. "I don't see what the big fuss is. You look normal to me."

"She is, kids." Rusl said. "She's just far from home, that's all."

Beth brushed her short hair away from her face and frowned, folding her arms. "Humph. Well I don't think we should trust her. She has to be hiding something. No one just falls from a cliff like that."

Thanks for your confidence, Beth.

I must've looked sad or something, because Link frowned at Beth, his voice sharp. "Well, I'm going to trust her." He said. "She hasn't done anything to prove we can't, so until then, she's welcome in this village."

"Yes, and I don't want to hear another word like that come out of your mouth, Beth." Rusl added. "That is not how we treat guests here. Is that understood?"

Beth lowered her head, looking a little ashamed. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now why don't I walk you all home? It's getting dark and your parents are going to get worried if you're out any longer." Rusl urged the three kids in another direction. "Link, Amanda, I'll see you two tomorrow."

Talo turned and waved as he neared the bridge. I waved back. "They're sweet kids." I said, dropping my hand. "Talo reminds me of one of my brothers back home."

"Yeah. They are good kids. I apologize for Beth, though." He said, steering me towards the last house near the path to the ranch. "She's really a nice kid. I don't know what's gotten into her tonight."

"It's okay. I understand how she feels a little bit." I smiled up at him as he knocked on the door. "Don't worry about it."

The front door swung open to reveal a balding man that looked to be about in his forties or so. He frowned at us at first, then his face lit up with a smile. "Link! Come in, come in!" He said, shaking Link's hand. "And this must be the young lady I've been hearing so much about."

"Yes, I'm Amanda. Nice to meet you." I said, reaching out and shaking his hand as well.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Mayor Bo. And my daughter Ilia is around here somewhere..."

"I'm right here, daddy." A girl around my age came down the staircase next to the door. "Hi." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Ilia. You must be Amanda, right?"

I nodded. "Right. Nice to meet you, Ilia."

"Nice to meet you as well. Now if you'll excuse me..." She smiled and moved past us. "I've got dinner almost ready and I don't want it to burn."

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

Ilia looked grateful. "That would be great. Can you get the table set? The dishes are on that shelf over there."

While Link and the Mayor sat down at the table, I moved to get plates and cups off the shelf. The forks and knives and such were gathered in holders near the plates. I had to make two trips, as I was afraid I was going to break something. I'm really clumsy. But it's not my fault, I swear. I get it from my mother. She's worse than me.

"Y'know, you two could help." I said dryly, setting the forks and knives down next to their plates.

"It's all right, Amanda." Ilia said, setting a bowl filled with what looked like rice and meatballs down on the table next to the salad. "Everything is ready anyway. But she's right. So you two get to clean up, later." She sat down next to me with a devious grin.

I grinned back. I like her. "I think that's a good idea, too."

"So, let's get right into it, then." Mayor Bo said, reaching for the rice and changing the subject. "I've already heard how you got here. That's quite a fall. Those cliffs have to be at least 200 feet or more high."

I gulped down my bite of salad. "Don't remind me. It wasn't the best experience."

"I'm sure it wasn't. Which is why we're trying to find an alternative to send you home instead of going back up those cliffs."

"Daddy and I were talking about sending you with Link to the palace. He's delivering something to the royal family the day after tomorrow." Ilia said. "We figure the princess would know a way, if she'd be willing to help."

"Princess?" I asked, taking a bite of the rice dish. It did taste like meatballs.

Link nodded. "Ordon is part of the country of Hyrule, ruled by a family that's been in control for generations. The princess is rumored to have a power that only two other people in this world have."

"So you think she'd be able to send me home?"

"Yes. I've already sent a letter to the palace, explaining what's happened." Mayor Bo said. "They should be expecting you within a few days."

"Are you sure it's okay that I go with you, though, Link?" I asked, staring down at my plate. "I don't want to get in the way of anything..."

Link shook his head. "I told you, didn't I? You're not in the way of anything or any trouble at all. We're just trying to help you, Amanda."

The Mayor just nodded in response between bites. "In fact, why don't you stay here with us tonight? We have the room and we'd love to have you."

I glanced at all three of them, blinking away tears. They were being so kind to me...even though I could've been some murder or something and they wouldn't know. Which I'm not. I swear. "I accept the offer, thank you. It's very nice of you."

"That's great!" Ilia clapped her hands together in delight. "It'll be fun to have another girl about my age here."

"Well, now that that's settled..." Mayor Bo sat back in his chair. How about dessert?"

"Sounds good to me, too." Link said.

"All right, all right, just a minute." Ilia started to clear the table, shaking her head and smiling wider.

"Amanda...Amanda..."

"Mmm?" I mumbled, eyes still half shut. "What's happening? What'd I-" I yawned. "-miss?"

"I'm gonna go ahead and go on home." Link said, strapping his sword to his back.

I sat up and stretched. "What time is it? Did I really fall asleep?"

"Yeah, you did." Ilia sat next to me still, bearing a look of sympathy on her face. "It's pretty late now."

After dinner, we sat around the table, eating dessert. Well, Ilia and I sat, anyway. We made the boys clean up and wash the dishes before they had their slice of pie. Then we all sat around talking, until I, obviously, fell asleep.

"I'm going, now, so I'll see you all in the morning." Link pulled the front door open. "Night, Ilia, Amanda."

"Night." We both said in unison.

The front door shut behind him with a click, and all was quiet.

"I've set up a cot upstairs for you in my room." Ilia said. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled tiredly. "It's been a long day."

"Come on, then. I'll show you where everything is."

I followed Ilia up the set of stairs by the front door. Funny, I'd never noticed them in the game. But then again, I never really payed much attention to people's houses unless there was something in them I needed.

Ilia immediately went to a wardrobe in the back corner of the room, pulling it open. "Hmm...I know there's another nightgown in here somewhere...Ah, here it is." She pulled out a simple ivory nightgown and handed it to me. "You can change up here. I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to get something and make sure everything is locked up." She grabbed something else from the wardrobe and turned back down the stairs and was gone.

I looked down at the soft nightgown in my hands and sighed. A soft breeze drifted in from the open window and I glanced out of it. The hills surrounding Ordon Village reminded me of home. Home. Where I should be right now. Not stuck in this place, game, or whatever it is.

I pulled away from the window, stepping down from the area where Ilia's bed and dresser was. But for whatever reason I was here for, I wasn't going to mope around. These people had been too kind to me for me to act like that.

I was finished changing by the time Ilia came back upstairs. She was dressed for bed now as well, wearing a shorter pale blue nightgown.

She pulled back the covers on her bed, climbing into it. "Goodnight, Amanda."

"Night, Ilia." I yawned, climbing into bed, as well and pulling the warm covers over my shoulders. Hopefully in the morning I'll wake up in my own bed and this'll all have been just a weird dream. But for now, I just won't think about it. I'm too tired, anyway. I felt my eyelids droop and I drifted off to sleep, hoping I'd wake up to the sounds of my brothers screaming at the television and my sister screaming at them.

...I must be really desperate to get home if I want to wake up to that.