Chapter 1: All Washed Up And No Place To Go

Welcome to where time stands still

No one leaves and no one will

Rooms were not meant to spin. Link was well aware of that, even with everything else strange and unusual that had happened in his life, and yet when he opened his eyes, it wouldn't stop. His entire body hurt, particularly his left arm, and there was a pounding ache in his skull. The gyrations around him just made it worse, so he closed his eyes again, which helped a little. From what he'd seen, he was in a bed in the only room, and had on a pair of pajamas that were several sizes too large. If nothing else, it was a clear improvement over being adrift.

"I saw that!" An unfamiliar voice-a woman's-called out. "You opened your eyes! Don't try and pretend you didn't!"

"Zelda?" Link replied without thinking. It wasn't her voice, but the way she had said it brought the princess to his mind first.

"Sorry, nope!" the woman told him cheerfully. "I don't know who that is, but it's not me. Still feeling a little woozy, huh? It's good to see you're awake, at least. You've been out for days now. A lot longer than most wash-ups. I was starting to think you'd never wake up."

"Wash-ups, huh." Link steeled himself and opened his eyes again. Fortunately, the room had stabilized by then. "That's a pleasant term."

"It's accurate, is what it is," she said calmly. The girl standing over him looked slightly younger than him and Zelda, with red hair down to her waist and warm brown eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress, and was smiling easily. Something about her stirred Link's memory, something from long ago that he couldn't quite place. "You washed up on the beach. That's where I found you. So, you're a wash-up. It's not like I know your name."

"Fair enough," Link admitted. "I'm Link. Does that happen often, or something?"

"You could say that." She brushed the question off, casually enough that most people wouldn't have thought anything of it. "Well, welcome to Koholint Island, Link. My name's Marin; I live here with my father, Tarin. Nice to meet you."

"Same to you, Marin," Link said calmly, carefully hiding the unpleasant feeling he always got when his past life and present one clicked. No wonder she looks so familiar. Malon had been the daughter of a prosperous rancher named Talon, and Link had been friends with them both while he adventured through Hyrule to stop Ganondorf Dragmire. But Malon was dead, for more than a millenia, which meant the resemblance was probably a coincidence, if a spooky one. Her dress wasn't a farmgirl's, woven more for style than durability, but aside from that, she was practically identical.

"Hey, your ears are pointed!" Marin noticed, putting a hand to her own, which were as well. "Are you from Hyrule?"

"You've got it." He smiled. "Agent of the Crown, actually. I assume you were too, before you came here? Hylian, I mean, not the line of work."

"A long time ago, yes." She nodded, before suddenly turning away. "I should go tell my father you're awake. Can you walk?"

"Yeah." He stood, testing his legs. "Should be fine. Still aches a little, but I can handle that."

"We'll have breakfast for you ready when you come down, then," she said, pointing over at a side table, where Link's clothes were folded neatly. "Go ahead and change out of my dad's pajamas; I washed your clothes for you. See you downstairs!"

"Sounds like a good idea," he muttered in agreement as she closed the door behind her. He quickly changed, noting in passing that while his now-empty wallet was still on his belt, none of his other possessions were there. Hopefully, they were downstairs; the thought of losing his sword, in particular, was not a pleasant one. Settling his peaked cap neatly on his head, he walked out and down, noting two more doors upstairs, probably to other bedrooms.

"Hiya, Link!" the man who was seated with Marin at the table downstairs greeted him cheerfully, just as startlingly familiar as his daughter. Tall and stout, his dark hair was untouched by Talon's baldness, but the large nose, heavy mustache and kind eyes were all the same. "Finally woke up, huh? Name's Tarin. Come on, sit a spell! Got some breakfast for ya, if yer up to it!"

"More than," Link told him, eagerly digging into the plate of eggs and ham waiting for him; fortunately, his cooking was just as good as his probable ancestor's had been. "I can't thank both of you enough."

"You could say taking care of wash-ups is sort of a hobby of ours," Marin said in a tone that made it hard to tell if she was joking or not. "Somebody has to do it, after all."

"If more people thought like that, guys like me would have a lot less work," he replied. "And that's a good thing."

"Agent of the crown of Hyrule, huh?" Tarin whistled. "Marin told me. Heavy stuff. How's the old country lookin' these days, anyways?"

"We're just getting over a rough time, but everything's still standing." Link shrugged, deciding not to mention the entire mess with Ganon; if they hadn't heard already, they probably wouldn't believe him. "King Lucas is still on the throne, although he's pretty old, so he's talking about abdicating for his daughter pretty soon."

"Good, good." Tarin chuckled. "Glad to hear it's all okay."

"This princess wouldn't happen to be named Zelda, would she?" Marin asked shrewdly.

"Pretty good," Link said, nodding. "How'd you guess, if you didn't already know?"

"You said the name, and there was a princess named Zelda way back in the legends, associated with a hero named Link," Marin explained. "You're not going to tell me you're a hero, are you?"

"Hardly." Link laughed again, only partially lying. Other people had called him a hero, but he'd never said it himself, nor had he believed it. "I'm just a guy who's good with a sword, that's all. My family's been commanding the Knights of Hyrule for generations now, you see, and, well..."

"So yer parents picked yer name to go with hers?" Talon guessed, waggling his eyebrows. "Pretty cute. Well, every so often a monster gets rambunctious, but aside from that, there ain't much to kill around here. Which is all well and good, since I didn't find no sword when I went down to the beach earlier. Got yer shield over there in the corner, with yer name on it, but that's it." He indicated Link's stout metal shield in a corner, polished and gleaming. "Might have washed up since, though."

"Thanks for taking care of that, then, at least." Link sighed, finishing his meal. "I'll go look later. Maybe I should find a place around here to stay a couple days more, before I catch a ship out. I've been on crown business for a while, and I'd say I've earned a vacation. Besides, I'm pretty attached to most of the things I was carrying, so I'm hoping more does end up washing ashore."

Marin and Tarin exchanged a long, worried glance at that, dropping their smiles.

"Link," Marin said carefully. "There are a few things you need to know about Koholint Island."

"Okay." Link looked from one of them to the other, now fully alert. "I'm listening."

"See, it's like this." Tarin coughed. "Prince Richard's the fella who's supposedly in charge here. He's an exile from some far-off land, lives in Kanalet Castle a ways away. But he's only doin' so 'cause the Lords an' Ladies want him to. There's eight of them, and they're the ones really runnin' things here. An' I mean everything." He paused for a moment. "You see anything... funny before you washed up here, Link?"

"Now that you mention it, I did," Link murmured. "I thought it was a hallucination, but..." He suddenly looked down at the back of his left wrist. There, a black scar was charred into the flesh, still raw enough to hurt. A brand, shaped like a stylized flame. "Seven people, and they said one hadn't come. Walking on water, and opening holes in the ocean. I couldn't see their faces, but I don't think they were human. One of them did this to me."

"Lord Hoad's mark," Tarin murmured. "Hoo, boy. Why ain't I surprised." He and Marin both raised their own arms, showing similar marks on their right wrists. Tarin's looked like some sort of bottle, while Marin's was a smiling face. "He's marked ya, now, as one of his. Whether they're human or not, we can't say, but they've always been around, and anybody who messes with 'em... let's just say it's best not to. And if there's one thing they don't like, it's ships."

"You're kidding," Link groaned. "How do people come and go, then? Some sort of flight, or..." He trailed off, gears turning in his mind as he thought over everything they'd said. The looks on their faces told him he was right. "Wash-ups, on the beach... that's the only way anybody ever comes here, isn't it?"

"And once we do, we can never leave, unless it's through death," Marin said quietly. "I'm sorry, Link. In all the time we've been here, we've never seen anybody escape."

"We'll see about that." Link shrugged, smiling again. "I can be pretty persuasive. I'll have a talk with these Lords and Ladies; I carry a lot of weight with Hyrule. There's got to be something they want that I can get them to make an exception for." Privately, he doubted it would be that easy, but there was no way he was getting the two of them dragged into the hard way, and it would have looked odd if he'd just given up.

"Just be careful, Link," Tarin said seriously. "Some of the Lords an' Ladies are okay folks, so long as you don't tick 'em off. Others, though... best avoid 'em like a cucco storm. Make sure it's one o' the first kind ya talk to. They usually come by here every few days."

"In the meantime, I'll show you around town." Marin smiled again, regaining her cheerfulness. "You can meet everybody here. Most of the humans on Koholint live in Mabe Village."

"I take it that humans aren't the only people around, then?" Link raised an eyebrow. "Not that that bothers me; I met Gorons for the first time recently, and Subrosians."

"Sorry, none of those." Marin shrugged. "Just Animal Village, on the other side of the island. There are monsters, too, but they're not really friendly on the best of days and they've all been cranky for the past few. They mostly serve the Lords and Ladies, so they don't live in the towns."

"We'll skip those, then." Link chuckled. "Monsters tend not to like me either, for some reason. Maybe it's how I tend to stop them when they go after nice people."

"Without your sword?" Marin raised an eyebrow.

"Might be a bit tricky, that," Link admitted, and they all laughed.

"I'll be goin' up into the forest, then," Tarin told his daughter, pulling a backpack on. "Figure I'll go mushroom hunting."

"Try not to get lost again, okay?" Marin hugged him, then nodded to Link. "Come on, let's go introduce you to everybody who's home right now."

Mabe Village looked like a pleasant place to live, at least. The houses were all sturdy and well-kept, with paved pathways cutting through grass between them. Marin and Tarin's home was on the eastern edge of town; past them was a field in which men and women were working, with more plains stretching away into the distance. Past the houses to the north were trees, and in the south, the land fell away sharply towards the beach, though there was a slope at one point.

"Dad's going up into the Mysterious Woods," Marin explained, seeing him look around. "Funny name, isn't it? He goes up there all the time to look for mushrooms, but sometimes he gets the magic kind by accident. One time he turned into a raccoon!" She giggled. "I had to go get the witch who lives there to change him back."

"Memo to self, avoid suspicious mushrooms while here," Link commented. "I'd make a lousy raccoon."

"I can't really imagine that," she agreed. "Come on, over here! You can meet Madame Meowmeow, and Bowwow!"

"Interesting names." He blinked, following her over to the house next to hers. It was somewhat more lavish, with a odd, doorless side-building and a post in front. Something was tied to the post by a jangling chain. "Is Bowwow her son?"

"No, silly!" She punched him harmlessly on the shoulder, giving him a look. "He's her pet!"

"Oh, a dog?" he guessed. "Okay, that makes-yow!" He jumped as a black mass suddenly lunged for him. In the instant before he went down, he saw what it was, and swore mentally at his misfortune. Instead of the ripping teeth he expected, however, a huge, wet tongue began washing his face.

"Down, Bowwow!" Marin tried her best to sound disapproving, but couldn't stop herself from laughing from safely out of range. "Awww! He's always like this with people!"

"But he's... that's a chain chomp!" Link blinked, sitting up as Marin pulled Bowwow off of him. There was no mistaking him for anything else; a metallic black sphere on a chain, its only features wide eyes and a maw full of massive teeth. He was now trying to lick Marin, barking excitedly, without any signs of violent intent.

"You've seen some before?" She smiled, rubbing Bowwow behind the eyes. "You really have done a lot of traveling. They're only found on Koopa Island, aren't they? Madame Meowmeow says they're normally vicious, but she bought Bowwow when he was only a puppy, and trained him. He only attacks monsters now."

"I have to admit, you can't do much better than a chain chomp for a guard animal." He chuckled, wiping the slobber off of his face.

"Indeed you can't, young man!" a stout, middle-aged woman in a fancy dress agreed, opening the door. "I bred Bowwow before I came to Koholint, and they always sold for thousands of rupees. All I have here with me are him and two pups, unfortunately. Still, better that than being without any of them." A tiny chomp, unchained, rushed out between her feet and began circling them, yipping.

"Madame Meowmeow, I presume," Link greeted her, bowing. "I'm Link, from Hyrule. Nice to meet you."

"Well, aren't you the gentleman." Meowmeow curtseyed in return with some effort.

"I should hope so," Marin said, petting the pup chomp. "He was friends with a princess back there."

"Oh, my!" Meowmeow gasped. "You should meet Prince Richard, then... oh, but not until the monsters have calmed down again. I would let you take one of the pups with you, but they're not big enough, I'm afraid."

"I heard that, mommy!" a high-pitched, growling voice said from the pethouse. To Link's amazement, it was another chomp pup that hopped out; like its sibling, it was too young to have grown a chain tail. "We can bite monsters! Lemme at 'em!"

"Lady Gie bestowed the gift of speech on Princess here," Meowmeow explained, seeing Link's face. "She said it would be funny to do so without following suit with her father and brother. I would let her live in Animal Village with the others, but she can't stand to be separated from us. Princess, go play with your brother."

"Okay!" The chomp pup yapped at the other one, and they hopped away together.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned an animal village earlier, didn't you?" Link asked Marin, who nodded. "Full of talking animals, huh? Wow. These Lords and Ladies can do that?"

"That, and more," Marin confirmed. "I'll take you to meet them once the monsters have calmed down again, too. They're all friendly, even the Crocodile Brothers and Chef Bear." She suddenly stiffened up, then, eyes widening. "Oh! Good morning, Lord Hoad! Lord Morm! Lady Gie!" She and Meowmeow quickly curtseyed as Link turned around.

"So, you are up," the man in the lead said with a smile, looking at Link. "Thought I sensed that. Looks like I was right." For a moment, Link almost thought it was Blind, but though the man bore a strong resemblance, there were several differences. He-probably Hoad-was shorter than the thief, and burlier as well, with more muscle packed onto his frame. His hair and beard were wild and red, and his eyes fierce. His clothes were solid black, a sleeveless vest, leggings and boots.

"He looks better now that he's awake," the other man, most likely Morm, said, his voice dull and incurious. "My sweet sister may regret letting you have this one after all." He was only similar to Hoad in the color of their clothes, though he was much more finely dressed, with golden buttons on his full coat. The man himself was slim and pale, more than slightly androgynous, with a fine-featured face and lush black hair. A superior smirk hovered over his lips as he looked them over, eyes lingering on Marin.

"Sleel is always so silly about that!" Gie, the woman, laughed. Her appearance was a harsh contrast to the other two; though the majority of her garb was black as well, each piece was patterned with a different color as well, all of them bright. Between her pointed shoes, long gloves, cape, belt, puffed pants and tight blouse, she nearly had the entire rainbow represented, completed by her golden hair and a topaz necklace she wore. Her face and voice were young, but her body was definitely an adult woman's, something he couldn't help noticing, if only in passing.

"Lord Hoad. I understand that I have you to thank for my life," Link said, forcing himself to smile. Zelda had taught him how to be polite to people he disliked, and he definitely didn't like the looks of the three newcomers; they gave off the same air as the Eyes of Ganon, when they hadn't been human. "I appreciate that, but I also hear that we're not allowed to leave."

"No problem, Linko." Hoad laughed, extending his hand and approaching. "Welcome to Koholint, and all that shit. Why don't we talk about that?" As soon as he was within range, the hand became a fist, slamming into Link's gut like a battering ram.

"Shit," Link grunted, going down like a felled tree. That was more than a little strange; Hoad was strong, but so was he, and he'd taken far worse over the years without falling.

"Give me a break." Hoad snorted. "I figured you'd be softened up by the shipwreck, but that's just pathetic. I brought you here because I figured you'd make things more interesting. Can't do that if you're a wussy boy. You want out of here, Linko? Give me some entertainment, and we'll talk. Until then, you ain't going nowhere. We clear?"

"Crystal." Link stood up, then lunged, returning the blow to Hoad's jaw. Marin and Meowmeow, who'd both stayed silent the entire time, gasped in shock. Morm and Gie, however, only smiled wider.

"Better," Hoad admitted, rubbing his cheek before his next punch knocked Link flat on his back. "Maybe this'll be fun after all. Go on, Marin. Help him up."

"Yes, sir," Marin replied, running over to pull Link back to his feet. "You fool! What were you thinking?"

"He was anticipating Hoad's desires correctly, as a matter of fact," Morm murmured, having crossed to join them before either had noticed. "Worry not, dear girl. He will be fine, though he would be wise not to take that attitude with others among us."

"Of course, Lord Morm," Marin said quietly, avoiding his eyes.

"Good girl." Morm reached out to stroke her cheek. "I see why Fade likes you. A shame he claimed you before I could."

"Hey, Morm, cut that shit out, huh?" Hoad interrupted angrily. "You're making me sick, here. Besides, you know what Fade said he'd do to you if he caught you screwing with her again."

"Of course." Morm drew back. "Well, should you ever become bored with his company, you do know where I live, Marin."

"I do indeed, Lord Morm," Marin replied noncommittally.

"I like your puppy, Madam Meowmeow," Gie said, lingering behind as the two men started walking off. Bowwow had retreated as far away from the three as his chain would let him go, and she was watching him intently. "Did I let you bring him here?"

"Indeed you did, Lady Gie," Meowmeow answered with noticably forced calmness. "After Lord Greeper allowed me citizenship."

"So you're Greeper's, but Bowwow's mine." Gie giggled. "I like that. Take good care of him for me!" Turning away, she skipped to catch up with the other two.

"Well, that was slightly terrifying," Link commented once they were gone. "Does that happen often?"

"Some of the Lords and Ladies come through town every few days to check on us," Marin answered quietly.

"And Morm acts like that every time he sees you?" Link guessed darkly, watching sweat bead on her brow.

"Lord Morm has a fixation with young women." Meowmeow sniffed, checking to make sure they were really gone. "A few of them haven't even returned from... visiting him yet. A good thing it is that Lord Fade claimed Marin first."

"I'll tell Fade about this," Marin said, narrowing her eyes. "The last time Lord Morm got out of line, Fade said he'd staple Lord Morm's head to his... feet... and roll him down a mountain if he did it again. I'd like to see that."

"So would I." Link chuckled, noting that Marin hadn't used Fade's title even as he began formulating his own plans for the future involving Morm. "I should meet this guy." An idea had formed from his assessment of Hoad's personality and his knowledge of Koholint's peculiar rules, but it would have to wait. The angry Lord was right; the shipwreck had weakened him. "Well, nice to meet you, Madame Meowmeow, unpleasant interruptions aside."

"The pleasure's all mine, young man." Meowmeow's smile returned. "I do hope you learn to like our island."

"Come on, let's go see Grandpa Ulrira next!" Marin urged him, and the two of them started walking once more, under the summer sun.

"A crane game?" Link asked, staring at the last building they had to visit. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Marin said gravely. "Stanley built it with Lord Sliyes's help. He does work on the phones whenever they break down, too, but in the meantime, he runs this." She shrugged. "It's not like the economy around here is taken seriously."

"Good point," he conceded. Aside from one general store, as far as he could tell, a barter system seemed to be more popular, and apparently rupees were commonplace anyways. "I'd give it a go just for the heck of it, but I seem to have been robbed on my way in."

"That must have been Lady Gie," she explained. "She always does that. Don't worry, I'll spot you. Come on!" She led the way in, and Link followed.

They'd spent most of the day meeting various people around town. Grandpa Ulrira, a taciturn old man who suddenly became chatty and informative on the telephone, a miraculous electric device set up by Sliyes that allowed communication over long distances. Grandma Ulrira, his hot-blooded, hard-working wife. Papahl and Mamahl, a couple with four identical young boys and a baby girl as well. Balzac the storekeeper, who'd actually been a powerful wizard before coming to Koholint. All of them had been friendly and cheerful, welcoming Link to what they assured him was an island paradise.

"Ah, hello Marin," Stanley, a nervous-looking man with huge glasses on an equally large nose, greeted them. "And the new boy. Link, isn't it? Care to give it a try?" The crane game took up most of the room; a raised platform behind glass, with conveyer belts in various patterns moving prizes around.

"That's what we're here for," Marin told him, pulling a red twenty-mark rupee out of her pocket and handing it over. "There's two tries. Go on, Link. See if you can get something."

"All right, why not," Link agreed, walking over to the control panel. It was fairly simple, and before long, he had it down. Positioning the claw, he dropped it, and came up with some kind of stuffed doll.

"Pretty good hand-eye coordination!" Marin congratulated him as the claw dropped it on a belt that would bring it out to him. "Mamahl will be jealous. She's been trying to get that one for her baby for weeks now."

"Maybe I'll give it to her, then." Link shrugged, picking it up. "I'm a bit old for dolls. I was going for that pouch."

"Maybe next time." Marin rubbed her hands together, shooting Link a mischievous smirk when Stanley wasn't looking. "My turn now. I've always wanted to see if this would work."

"Why do I get the feeling you're up to something?" Link watched, amused, as she brought the crane over Stanley's head, then dropped it.

"Hey, what the-!" Stanley yelped, too late to dodge as the pincers closed around his shoulders and lifted him into the sky. "Oh. A joke. Ha ha ha. Very funny, miss Marin." He glared down at them as the crane brought him over to the dispenser belt, folding his arms as soon as he was free. "Are you quite done being juvenile?"

"I'd say so," Marin said with a straight face before she and Link both burst out laughing. It was the look of indignation on his face that had really done it.

"Hmph." Muttering to himself, Stanley stalked off into a back room.

"Come on, let's go." Maron led him out, still giggling. "I'll apologize to him later. He won't come out for the rest of the day now."

"Hey, I thought it was pretty good," Link said. "Where to now, then?"

"It's starting to get late." She looked up at the sky, which was beginning to turn a sunset orange. "Let's go see if dad's home yet."

"And if he's not?" he asked as they returned to her house.

"Then he's probably lost again." She looked around quickly before turning back to him, her face irritated. "He always does this. I'll go have a quick look around the woods for him. If I don't find him in an hour, we'll have dinner without him."

"All right." Link paused for a moment. "Mind if I go check out this beach, then? See if anything else washed up?"

"You're really attached to that sword of yours, aren't you?" Marin smiled once more; he'd already seen, in less than a day, that the expression was habitual for her. "Go ahead. Take your shield, at least, though. Monsters, and all. Oh, and while you're down there, could you pick up some bananas? Sale lives down there in his grove." She tossed him another red rupee.

"No problem," he said, buckling the shield on. Like his sword, it had been given to him by his uncle, and he was glad that it at least had come through with him. "See you back here in an hour, then."

Marin had shown him the road to the beach while they were exploring town; it went past the town library, and a couple of the quadruplets playing ball. Smiling and waving to them, Link walked past, down the slope past the cliffs. Despite his misgivings, he had to admit, it really was a nice little island.

When octorocks crossed his path, it didn't even spoil his mood. He'd been told there were monsters, after all, and at least octorocks were familiar. Eight-legged land-dwellers, they got their name from their habit of propelling stones out of their tubelike mouths at enemies. These ones were no different from any others he had encountered, and his shield was sufficient to keep them at bay, though his inability to strike back did make the loss of his sword even more apparent.

"Can't even slice up octorocks." Link shook his head as he reached the beach. "This is just sad." The ocean stretched out before him, a blue expanse going past the horizon. Briefly, he considered a raft, then shook his head; with the kind of power the Lords and Ladies apparently had, it couldn't be that simple. Sighing, he walked down where the tide was coming in and began combing the sand, dodging aggressive crabs and spiny sea urchins.

It was a glint of metal among a cluster of the latter that drew his eye. Walking over to them, Link began shoving the urchins away with his shield; while they could apparently survive on land, the spiky creatures had the mobility of slugs, and he was quickly able to clear them off of their prize, smiling in relief as he was able to see what it is.

"Lady luck's smiling on me after all," Link said, picking up his sword. Neither particularly long nor wide, it was made to be used with one hand, but was still heavy enough to cut steel when applied with enough force and skill, which Link more than had. Even with his body still feeling weak from his ordeal, the blade felt natural in his hand. Before he even knew it, he was automatically executing the whirling slash, his family's trademark move. One full circle, and all of the urchins around him were dead, cut neatly in half horizontally.

"Still got it," Link said confidently, sheathing the blade and buckling it back onto his belt. "That's what's important. As long as that's good, the rest is just a matter of time." Choosing a suitable-looking driftwood log, he sat down on it, staring off into the sunset. "An island where nobody ever leaves. Might as well be an entirely different world. Same old song and dance, round two. I guess that's one way to keep in shape." He chuckled wryly. "Maybe I should just be glad I'm not getting turned into a pink bunny this time. Still, have to remember to stay on guard here, no matter how nice it is."

"A wise young man you are, hoot, hoot!" a new voice, deep and wise, said from behind him. Turning, Link saw a huge owl, nearly as large as himself, perched on another log behind him. "This island preys on those who resign themselves to it. Become complacent, and you will continue to do so, until before you know it, a lifetime has passed here in no time at all. Or perhaps the other way around, hoot. Who can tell?"

"You..." Link stared openly, memories and reality colliding once more. "Kaepora?"

"Who, hoot?" The owl blinked. "A friend you knew? I am sorry, lad. That name is not mine. But it seems this sword belongs to you, hoot. It repelled the touch of this island's masters when they tried to claim it, you know. A pity I cannot say the same for the rest."

"Huh." Link raised an eyebrow. "If it was the Master Sword, I'd have expected that, but this is just Uncle Al's old blade. Still, I'm not complaining. Are you saying they did make off with other things of mine?"

"Indeed," the owl agreed. "A curved throwing weapon that always returns to its owner. A pair of gauntlets that grant their wearer inhuman strength. Boots which give equally fantastic speed. Fins for feet, with magic of the waves that would let even a snail swim. A device of chain and hook, that can cross and pull across huge distances. A musical instrument, whose secrets even I cannot see. A shield like the one you wear, but made from a magic mirror. And a rod of red, that creates magical fire. All these things were taken by the masters of the isle as their due."

"Looks like some of my stuff was lost." Link sighed. "Still, not bad. Guess I shouldn't complain, since I'll be able to get all of those back, at least."

"Hoot!" The owl's eyes twinkled. "The masters of the isle are avaricious, lad. They will not lightly give up anything they see as theirs. Do you intend to fight them?"

"If that's what it takes to get me off this island, and it looks like it's going to," Link said grimly. "I do this sort of thing for a living. Hope that doesn't bother you too much. One of them gave you speech, right?"

"I serve a higher purpose than those beings of lies and illusion." The owl shook its head. "Small wonder the monsters who do serve them became agitated when you arrived. If you wish to leave Koholint, the way lies through those eight, and to the Wind Fish, who slumbers here. Remember that name, as your adventures take you across this island of dreams."

"Wind Fish, huh?" Link nodded slowly. "And you say the monsters are getting violent because of me, too. Well, okay. I tend to listen to owls when they give me advice-long story-so I suppose I can do that."

"A fortunate coincidence, hoot!" The owl chuckled. "One more suggestion I shall give to you, hoot! Visit the Mysterious Woods, near the village. You shall find the first key you need there." Suddenly, he spread his wings, taking flight into the sky. "Remember, the path to reality is to wake the Wind Fish from its slumber! Hoot hoot hoot!"

"Weird day," Link muttered to himself as he began to walk back north, then thought again, remembering some of the ones he'd had in the Dark World when he was younger. "Well... nah. About average, if it's going to be like that, again." He managed a tight grin as he bisected a cranky octorock. "Well, at least it won't be boring."

Right now, he had bananas to buy, and so he began looking for the grove, relaxed at the moment with no promises for tomorrow.

As the owl flew over Koholint Island, a blazing fireball suddenly flew at it from the three dark forms sitting on a mountainside ledge towards it. Hooting derisively, the bird swooped aside at the last moment, dodging the attack, and continued off in a different direction.

"Tch." Hoad scowled, lying on his elbows. "Didn't even wing 'im."

"Now look what you've done, Hoad." Morm sneered derisively. "That ridiculous owl is back. I'd hoped we'd seen the last of it."

"Well that's your own damn fault, then, Morm, for being an idiot," Hoad said with just as much contempt. "Didn't kill the thing. Didn't get rid of it. Didn't give it what it wants. Why would it go away? I wouldn't."

"Are you expecting me to comprehend the psychology of a supernatural owl?" Morm replied, sounding amused now. "Perhaps we should all try putting on feathers and wings for a few days in order to investigate the matter. I daresay Greeper would be interested."

"Yeah, he would." Hoad shook his head. "That freak's half bird already. Bats are birds too, right?"

"I'll just be glad you didn't think they were bugs." Morm sighed.

"So, can we kill that owl now?" Gie asked, watching it vanish in the distance. "I'd be cool with that."

"Hell, I've been trying to nail that thing ever since it first started yapping at us," Hoad said irritably. "Far as I'm concerned, if you can get it, more power to you. Damn bird's got better moves than a ninja."

"I doubt anybody would object at this point, now that it's been making contact with Hoad's new friend." Morm rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe you actually brought him here on purpose. The man killed Ganon, for Goddesses' sake. This could be an absolute disaster for us. Sometimes I wonder about you."

"I don't really care about that." Gie shrugged, stretching. "I just hope he's fun, is all. You'll let the rest of us play with him too, right, Hoad? Please?"

"Dammit, you know I can't say no to you, Gie." Hoad chuckled. "Yeah, go right ahead. Be a while before he's in any shape to be interesting to me, anyways."

"Awww, thanks, Hoad!" Gie exclaimed, hugging him and laughing at the look of mild irritation on his face. "Come on, don't be all grumpy with me. We're family, right?"

"Indeed we are," Morm agreed. "Well then, I'm sure you won't mind if I go convey that offer to my sweet sister as well. She'd love that, and Goddesses know I've got no interest in the young thug myself."

"Well, good for you, skippy." Hoad rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, go ahead. Knock yourself out. Preferably literally."

"Hey, hold on, Morm!" Gie protested. "You were going to have some fun with me now, remember?"

"I'll just go talk to Sleel for a moment, and then we can go back to my place," Morm promised. "That way, she can have her fun with the boy while you're with me, and then when you go to play with him, she won't be in the way."

"Oooh, good point," Gie conceded. "Okay, let's go see Sleel really quick, then!"

"Smooth talker." Hoad rolled his eyes. "I can't stand it."

"I don't believe I was asking you to." Morm sniffed. "We'll be on our way, then. Do have fun with the rest of your day."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Hoad said sourly, turning away. "Go snort broken glass. See you around, Gie."

"Bye, Hoad!" Gie waved as she and Morm began strolling down the mountainside, leaving Hoad to his own devices.

"Strange girl," Hoad muttered, staring off across the island with burning eyes. Slowly, he bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Yeah, go ahead. Mess with the kid all you want, until he messes with you right back. The Hero of Time, the Wind Fish, the Children of Nightmares, and that friggin' owl thrown in just for kicks. Not to mention a backup cast purgatory would be proud of. Now we're talking." Turning away, he began making his own way up the mountainside instead, and as he walked, the air around him rose to a blazing temperature.

"Dance, freaks, dance. Show some hell to me."