Nintendo created all the characters and places and stuff. I just made the story up. The cover was done by Zeliga of DeviantART
Part Two
Link wiped his face with the back of his hand and sighed, cleaning the straw out with a brush and shovel and carrying thick bales it on his back was hard and heavy work. A few hours had already gone by and his magic was starting to return in full force, every snowflake that touched the already cold ground he would feel a tingling of excitement that was so hard to hide. He had changed into an overall for work; he would venture out to the meeting place for them and bring them over to the cave where they would be safe and unknown to everyone else. When he discovered them, he almost destroyed them; the following winter they had chosen him as a kind soul who could carry on their work. He was their servant; bound to them by an invisible rope that would tighten around him if he did not keep them hidden.
Link filled the troughs with water and shivered, his fingers flexing on the handle of the bucket he carried. It was time.
He took out a white cape and pulled up the hood before venturing outside. It was a clear night, no snow was falling and each star looked like a Christmas light twinkling on a tree; with it, a beautiful wave of blue and green light shone across the sky like someone had just painted it. He broke into a run, his feet barely touching the ground as each footprint he made froze instantly; he dare not walk if he did not want to look like a fool. Eventually, he halted in the middle of Faron woods, a respectable distance away from his base and began to clamber up a thick tree evergreen tree, the branches leaned in his direction to make it easier to climb and the frozen ivy that had latched onto the tree shook the snow from its leaves to offer more support. He poked his head out from the top of the tree and held his arms up above his head, till his skin almost turned blue in his gloveless hands
"Listen to me, winter wonderland!" he shouted "I am your servant; grant me the power which I have watched these many years to continue my work!"
The lights above him shuddered with his voice and something fell from the sky, striking in the snow below the tree so hard that snow sprayed across in all directions. Link slid down the tree as quick as he could and stood before the fallen object; at first glance it looked like an icicle that shone in the night; he reached for it, his hair turning static as electricity zapped from the icicle to the palm of his hand and tips of his fingers. He grimaced a few times as he clasped his hand around it and pulled it out of the ground; he began to scream as his face changed, his hair froze on end spiking it and making it sharp to the touch, his lips turned blue and his eyes shone. He stepped back slightly, regaining his composure; he held the icicle above his head, breathing in deeply.
"I accept this power with faith, loyalty and kindness. I begin my duties and will protect this secret with my life and worth. I am Winter." Link breathed, the narrow tip on the icicle sparkled at his words and shot a single orb of purple light into the sky.
A light to mark the signing of a contract he had signed many times in many winters.
After which he returned to the base, running the icicle along the walls to cover it in a thin layer of blue ice.
It begun here.
Ilia hugged Colin under a blanket, he was shaking while holding a half-empty cup of warm milk, most of it had been spilt on the floor but he sipped it as best he could. She would have to have serious words with Link after what he did to poor Colin.
"I f-f-followed him in-in-into the woods and a-a-a skeleton attacked m-me." Colin stammered during sips "I-I-I ran away be-be-before it had a chance to g-g-get me."
"I'm going to kill him." Ilia snarled "It's that damn secret he has. This is going too far."
"I'm worried ab-ab-about him, Ilia." Colin whined placing the cup on a table
"As am I." Ilia whispered looking out through the window to the night only to be half blinded by a bright light that exploded into the sky, it acted like a firework, making a huge bang upon it spreading out in between the stars. Ilia chewed her lip; the explosion in the sky or more appropriately named: 'Storm Star' always shone across the sky on the calmest of winter nights when the moon was high; it would rise from the ground till it levelled with the moon before stretching out across the sky in a huge explosion that could be seen for miles across the land; the light so bright, it faked the sun for a matter of minutes, twinkling high in the sky for all to see before fading away to the angry snow clouds that brought a winter thunder storm.
"Look, Colin! The Storm Star has come back!" a little voice cheered thumping down the stairs followed by a tired young woman
"Come on, Astrid. Its way past your bedtime." the young woman sighed picking up the tiny child, still in a button up suit for bed. "As is with you Colin."
"But isn't Mr. Winter coming soon?" Astrid whined jumping up to look out of the window to look at the shimmering Storm Star outside
"Oh, he'll be coming. He's warning us you see." the young woman spoke picking Astrid up, the girl leaned on her mother's shoulder "He's telling us that very soon a very powerful storm is coming."
"Uli, the Storm Star is of natural causes. You can't lie to her about this." Ilia hissed, Astrid leaned over Uli's shoulder glaring at her with her tiny blue eyes
"Mr. Winter sends the Storm Star…doesn't he; Mummy?" Astrid asked fiddling with her light brown hair
"Of course he does, sweetie." Uli spoke gritting her teeth in Ilia's direction "And if you believe in him, he will keep you safe from the cold."
"I want to meet Mr. Winter!" Astrid giggled as Uli carried her upstairs
"He'll only come when you are sleeping; there's only a few days to go." Uli whispered
Ilia turned to the window, it was stupid, yes, she had believed in Winter when she was a little girl; Astrid called him Mr. Winter, even though she was three years old now, she had an overactive imagination for someone of her age and was not afraid to tell you about it. She worshiped the ground Link walked on following him whenever she could like a second shadow; during Link's tales of adventure, she would be sitting on his knee while he used little grass puppets and his hands to recreate his tales; they were the best bed-time stories in her eyes and though she knew these actually happened, she never seemed afraid. Link had been told to hold his tongue when it came to blood and gore but little Astrid seemed to just want more, demanding that he tell every little detail.
It had been a clear starry night in summer and the town had gathered around in a crescent shape around a white bed sheet. A fire was lit behind it with a flint and the voices of the eager people hushed down.
"I walked into a dark room, the doors slamming shut behind me blocking my exit from the inside. With nowhere to go, I turned to the huge leviathan that was chained up to the walls by the wrists and ankles, he appeared to be sleeping; his head was low on his broad shoulders; his skin was as black as burnt out ashes and his breath was loud and constant. I edged closer, my feet catching on the metallic surface he stood on. Suddenly, I heard the thumping of a heartbeat and an orange eye in the centre of the leviathan's head and awoke the beast!" Link told throwing his hand between the fire and the sheet; within his fingers he held a small puppet made out of grass with a little sword in one hand and a shield in the other while in the other hand; a huge monster towered over the little grass puppet, eye holes cut out to show the squint it carried. Colin covered his face as Astrid clambered onto his shoulders to get a better view. "His tiny red eyes snapped open and he roared into my face, showing rows of yellow teeth the size of barrels inside his gaping mouth before yanking his chains from the walls and igniting himself in a ball of fire; his chains flailing around like they were made of grass and not heavy metal!"
"Then what happened?!" Astrid shrieked jumping up by the sheet
"I pulled my bow out of my pouch, a slender long bow, and drew an arrow, pulling the string back to my cheek and shot it in the face! The leviathan shrieked and covered it with his large clawed hands and started to blindly crash around the room; pieces of the ceiling were falling down onto the ground as he thrashed but I kept my distance, grabbing onto a flailing chain with both hands I slipped on my Iron Boots, sticking to the floor with such a strength it could not be broken and heaved on it till he fell flat on his stomach, the flames around him being snuffed out so I could pull out my sword and-" Link shouted, excitement filling his voice
"Link, children are watching remember, tone the details." Uli sighed grabbing Astrid's shirt to stop her from getting to close, Astrid watched with a beaming smile as the little grass puppets fought behind the sheet; little grass arrows shot from the little puppet to the head of the bigger one. It was thrilling to watch!
Link watched the sky above cloud over, the stars being turned off like lights he raised the icicle above his head; listening to the clouds rumble angrily; he began to chuckle as soft white snowflakes touched the ground
"Winter wonderland that is my home, Listen to my words and my words alone!" Link sang, twirling the icicle around his head, with it the sharp tip began to brighten and flash as purple as a grape "Unleash the hail and the heavy snow! Let the harsh cold wind blow!"
The sky roared loudly and the wind strengthened as Link pointed the icicle to the sky, throwing purple jets of light into them to make the clouds throw out snow like it were confetti, the wind carrying it in huge gusts across the provinces. Link howled with laughter, standing tall against his spell till he almost looked like a snowman himself.
"We have arrived, Link." a strong voice came from behind him. "We thank you for the cover of the stormy night. You must control yourself more during your casting."
Link turned on his heel and bowed down. "I hope the wind did not carry you to fast, my friend."
"I have flown in worse conditions. I know what to expect from you; you go a little nuts." the voice commented, coming out from the dark "I trust our accommodation is ready?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way, come; I'll open the door." Link chuckled holding an arm out to lead the company he kept.
There were eight of them all together, each one dressed in the colours of the painted sky, the first, the oldest was as blue as the coldest ice or the clearest water while the youngest, a child no less, was a gorgeous green the colour of emeralds. Each one was humanesque with a blank emotionless face and unblinking eyes; their bodies were armless but instead had two wing-like appendages in their place moving on their own, the males only wore a pair of shorts that looked like they were made out of white fur that blended in with their skin tones while the females wore a fur dress that had no sleeves and stopped just before the knees with a pair of checked tights; the centre of the dress or chest on a male was a single diamond that was grown into size; the older ones had cracks on them like they had been broken. They all had icicles growing out of their heads; the adults with two all shaped like antlers of a reindeer while the children only had one sticking out through their light coloured hair, not to mention they were the sharpest.
"Are you ready?" the eldest of the eight asked "There are only a few days to go before you must deliver."
"I am aware of this and I know my mission." Link replied as the youngest of the eight came up to him, nearly stabbing his eye out with her icicle.
"We will get ready for then, I trust you can continue with your work with the youngest of the Ice?" the eldest mumbled pushing the other child away from him
"Of course. I will have everything ready for your return. Will you need a storm for cover?" Link asked tightening his grip on the icicle till it pulsed
"No. We shall melt as our lives end; we shall begin the count." the eldest spoke stepping back with the rest of the adults. Their features fading into nothing as they all transformed into several coloured puddles of water on the floor.
The female of the youngest turned to him with a grin "You are all done aren't you?"
"Well in advance, Snowflake." Link chortled tapping his nose with a finger as the male of the youngest skidded forward
"How do you have your winter powers in the hottest weathers to be done?" he asked "Your predecessor would be rushing at this point."
"Frozen presents are no good to those who can't use them. I made toys and gifts out of wood, leaves, grasses, rocks, anything I can get my hands on. They just need wrapping." Link spoke crouching down to the children
"Does this mean we can go sledding now?" Snowflake squealed cupping her hands
"Yes. Yes it does." Link smiled moving out of the hub and walking down to the rightmost tunnel where a single green flame in a floating orb was housed in the middle of an icy room; with falling snow magically appearing from the ceiling of the room, behind the orb though was a small, one man sledge made out of clear ice. The top of the sledge had a single hole chiseled into the top and there was a set of red reins on a hook just above it. He rubbed his fingers across the smooth raised up edges of it and reached down for the reins. "Are you sure you are ready for this? I normally have your brothers or sisters pulling this. I'm not a light guy."
"Do it." Snowflake giggled holding her wing-like appendages out and took a big inhale to brace herself
"Alright, if you're positive." Link sighed shutting his eyes allowing the icicle to float on its own. The tip grew a fierce purple, brightening up the dark room before focusing itself on the child, striking her hard in the diamond on her chest; cracking it open with force that pushed her against the wall. Link opened an eye and grimaced as the beam of light moved towards the male. She was unconscious in the corner, the diamond on her chest shimmering with lilac light. The male did the same; leaving Link dazed from using such a spell. Giving him just enough energy to utter the words to continue it before the icicle dropped with him.
Fly great ice, flutter like snow.
During their unconsciousness; the little orb in the centre of the room began to hum loudly, filling up with tiny flecks of snow like it were a snow globe that had just been shook and showed a little girl with dark hair clambering out of her bedroom window into the cold night.
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Sorry it's a day late guys, I have the flu and my head hurts to much to write at the moment.*cough, cough, splutter*
However you know who 'they' are but why did Link cast a spell on the youngest and why is he making toys and gifts? Ooh! Astrid is adorable, I think? She's headstrong and wants to meet Mr. Winter even for three years old. Ilia needs to lighten up though.
