AN: Enter Hena! (You all know her, right? She runs the fishing shop, her sister runs the boat rental, and her brother's the poor sap who sells lantern oil in the Faron Woods...) This takes place during chapter one, it's Hena's point of view as she hides out in the shop watching Link fish. That girl really takes her fishing seriously. Maybe a bit too seriously... (Remember everyone, hawkeyes are the Hylian equivalent of binoculars.)
'No way. He didn't just...? Did he? Sweet Nayru, look at his face. He totally did!'
These were the thoughts running through Hena's head as she peered through her pair of hawkeyes out the window of the shop and across the lake. She'd been keeping tabs on Link for the last few days as he toughed it out on the water and the hero was making quite an impression on her. His determination, perseverance, and sheer moxy were astounding.
In her eyes, Link was the ultimate fisherman, the paragon of anglers. He had gone four long days, completely exposed to the elements, motionless except for the infinitesimal twitch needed to cast a lure. He had neglected to eat, to sleep, he scarcely even looked like he was breathing most of the time. Truth be told, there were several times when Hena glanced out the window and thought Link had died, only to realize he was in fact playing possum to lull his enemy into a false sense of security.
That kind of sacrifice, that kind of dedication to the art of fishing, it was a level of skill that Hena could only dream of achieving. And to stalk the Terror of the Deep? Astounding, amazing, epic! It was a fishing battle that would be told and retold throughout the ages. If Link landed that pike and lived to tell the tale, his name would go down in legend as the greatest angler of all time! Well, he'd get his picture hung up on the Wall of Fame in the shop, Hena could promise him that much.
Now, she knew, the battle was almost over. When she woke up that morning, Hena had a terrible sense of foreboding. A premonition that the aquatic duel between Link and the Terror of the Deep would conclude that very day. She had stayed at her window, glued to her hawkeyes the entire day in hopes of seeing the fateful conclusion. She would be the one to bear witness, torn between cheering Link on and mourning the defeat of such a valiant, mysterious pike. Then it happened.
From her station at the window she saw Link grasp at his stomach and turn, fumbling for something in his pack. At first she didn't understand what he was looking for, after all, if he packed any provisions he would have eaten them long ago. It was only when Hena caught the glitter of sunlight reflecting of the facets of a glass bottle that she understood what Link was planning. There wasn't a potion or some other strength-restoring draught in that bottle, no. It was the last resort, the final refuge for a starving, hard-luck fisherman.
The bait. Bee larva.
When she finally realized what Link was about to do, Hena was awed and disgusted, but mostly awed. Never, not even during her most desperate fishing marathons, had she even considered eating her bait; and here was Link, ready to swallow those squirming grubs in a heartbeat if it meant he'd get another shot at a victory over his fishy foe.
She watched, holding her breath as he uncorked the bottle and raised it to his lips, then winced in sympathetic heebie-jeebies as he gulped the whole lot of larva down in one swig. Through her hawkeyes she could clearly make out the full spectrum of nauseated facial contortions that Link's features spasmed through. She let out a relieved sigh when Link finally shook himself and picked up his rod again, ready to fish anew.
This man, Hena decided, was an angling god. He had easily surpassed her own fishing skills on every level and was still improving! Against a force of nature like Link, the Terror of the Deep didn't stand a chance. She was just about to cleaning the glass on her aquarium again, so the monster pike would have a nice view out of his new home, when the unthinkable happened.
Out on the lake Link suddenly stiffened in his canoe, shock etched across his face, and slumped over, his fishing pole falling from his hand. Quickly turning her hawkeyes to the water, she saw the spot Link had been focusing on was vacant and the water itself was perfectly clear. Hena knew exactly what had happened, that accursed pike had done the same thing to her before, many times before. It got tired of the struggle and left, using the muck stirred up by the daily rains as cover.
She hated when fish did that, it was so rude! But there was nothing she could do besides watch as Link picked up his paddle and turned his rented canoe back towards the docks. Even as he withdrew from the lake, Hena could see the fisherman's spirit still burning in Link's eyes.
Her hero may have lost this battle, but the war against the Terror of the Deep was far from over.
AN: Hm... Yep, it's like I said. Hena takes her fishing way too seriously. By the way, I'm not trying to start a Link/Hena relationship here, that would be silly. They're just friends, fishing buddies. And Hena admires the way Link will ignore the risks and do dumb things that are clearly detrimental to his health. (It's not stupid, it's heroic!)