When Link awoke, there was an unfamiliar stiffness all around him. Still, the late morning sun shone through a window, and he pulled himself awake. Stretching, he was amazed to find that his arm was perfectly fine, though it was still bandaged. He gingerly poked it, just to be sure.
Feeling no pain from it, Link smiled and swung his feet out of his makeshift bed.
"LINK!" a familiar voice shouted, and he found himself immediately tackled by Medli. "You're awake! How are you feeling? I hope you're feeling good, because today, you're meeting with the Chieftain! What a great honor!"
Although breathing was made slightly uncomfortable with her arms completely restricting his air supply, he smiled. It was a pretty cool honor, wasn't it?
"You even get to wear the ceremonial clothes!"
…
Good feeling gone.
Link linked once, and the smile on his face immediately vanished. Medli seemed to sense this, and laughed.
"Well, it's not like you're wearing anything but your underwear right now! Your normal clothes are being washed, anyways!"
One glance at himself, and our no-longer-green-clad hero realized that she was telling the truth. He coughed once and, trying not to panic, he covered himself with one of the many blankets that he had previously been wearing.
Medli would have none of this. Although she wouldn't tell anyone, she had already taken a few pictures of him in her Picto-Box.
It was then that Komali walked in with what Link assumed he would be wearing. The Rito Prince saw her practically groping the Island's Champion and sighed in frustration.
"Medli. Off," he commanded, and since Valoo's young attendant couldn't refuse a direct order, she had to obey. With a frown, she removed herself from the Outset boy. Link, on the other hand, couldn't have possibly liked Komali any more than he did at that moment.
Link mouthed a silent, 'Thank you!', and while Komali tried to figure out how the hero added an exclamation mark onto a mouthed sentence, he mouthed, 'Welcome,' back, anyways.
"So. How're you doing, Link?" he asked, and the boy gave a thumbs up, examining his no longer hurt arm. "I don't think I need to ask you how you slept. Fifteen hours is a long time, after all." Komali smiled again, and handed the hero the clothes he would be wearing for the next hour or so.
Link, however, looked around the room nervously. The Rito Prince understood immediately, and grabbed Medli's arm. "I don't think he wants an audience, Medli," he whispered to her. She sighed and followed Komali out the door, but not before giving the Hero of Winds one last suggestive wink.
Link gave a half-wink in return. It is more commonly known as an eye-twitch.
Still, he quickly composed himself, and in no time, he was dressed in the Rito finest. Granted, he thought it a bit silly that he had to wear a rubber beak and fake wings, but that was better than making him go to whatever 'ceremony' they had in mind in just his underwear.
And, on the plus side, it was green. Couldn't forget that.
'Hey. Good to see you up. How are you…' The voice stopped. 'Oh my… what in Din's name are you wearing?'
"…What? My clothes are being washed, and they want me to go to some Rito Ceremony anyways. Why shouldn't I wear it?" Link frowned, crossing his arms at the voice.
'You look like a bird! You have feathers, a beak, and…' the voice seemed to put a hand to his forehead. 'I've been trying, for, like, two generations, to keep people from thinking that all Links are gay. Are you trying to cancel out all of my efforts?'
Link blinked. "What? It looks cool!" He stopped for a minute, indignant. Then, something occurred to him. "And… what did you mean by, 'All Links,'?"
The voice didn't answer for a minute. 'I'm, um, guide to the various Links.'
The Wind Waker raised an eyebrow. "Right. So… does that mean you're a fairy? 'Cause you really don't sound like a fairy."
'You know what? Screw it. I don't have to explain myself to you! I'm the reason you got out of there alive. Why do you have to ask so many questions?'
Link just shook his head and walked from the room. "Forget about it." As an afterthought, he turned deliberately to the sky. "And this outfit does not look gay!"
0:0:0
When he stepped out of the room to meet his friends (Well. The kind of friends that seem to enjoy causing him pain), he couldn't help but wonder why Komali was staring at him with such a weird look in his eyes.
Medli, however, was grinning. As usual. And looking directly at certain areas of his anatomy. "You look great, Link! You should wear feathers more often!"
The green in his costume did little to neutralize the red that now colored his face—if anything, it magnified it. Link awkwardly scratched the back of his head, feeling sweat dripping down the side of his face.
Thankfully, Denaii suddenly burst through the door.
"Ah! Good to see you up, Link," she said with a smile. It was then that she noticed exactly what he was wearing. "…Interesting. You're a bit short for that tunic, though."
The Hero of Winds glanced over to Komali for assistance, but the Rito Prince just shrugged. "It looks like a dress on you. I honestly don't know what the Chieftain was thinking."
Medli just crossed her arms and stared at them. "You guys are so mean! I think he looks absolutely adorable in it!" and she beamed at the boy. The sweat dripping down his forehead got about twice as thick in three seconds.
But never one to protest, Link just made a slightly scared (okay, terrified) expression, and backed against the wall.
The Rito Healer rolled her eyes at the nonsense. "Really, children? You're off to participate in a formal ceremony in just a few minutes. It would do you well to show a little restraint." She glanced over to Link, then sighed. "I suppose it's time to take that bandage off."
000
The Hero of Time looked up from his book and glanced at the screen. He tried not to laugh at the boy's costume, but it was unsuccessful. And judging by the glare that the Wind Waker was giving no one in particular, he heard it. Ah, well, the Hero of Time thought, I should probably be glad he can hear everything in here. He went back to his book.
It was then that he remembered Zelda's visit. Had the boy heard that? No, no, he couldn't have. They were speaking quietly, right? Right. The kid hadn't said anything about it, anyways.
Sometimes, Link wondered why he even bothered to keep the Hero of Winds from knowing about his identity. It would solve a whole lot of problems, both friendship and mentor-wise. But something told him that the boy wouldn't really appreciate knowing that he was being mentored by a dead guy. And remembering the Wind Waker's terrified reaction to the Gohma (not to mention the vials in the Healer's house), he was scared of an awful lot.
'There you go, knight,' came the Rito Healer's voice, and Link glanced back up at the screen, just in time to see the boy examining his arm, something not easy to do in a dress with such long sleeves. Thankfully, though, Link kept that thought to himself and didn't project it into the boy's head.
000
The trip to the ceremony grounds was uneventful (except for, naturally, more exclamatory remarks from Medli), but when they got there, Link couldn't help but stare at the beauty of the cliff before him.
They had climbed up to the very top of the volcano, and were standing before Valoo, but the Hero of Winds couldn't bring himself to look at the dragon. How could he, when everything around him seemed to shine? The wind was swirling around the small party, and it seemed to carry music on it.
Link's senses were practically overloading with the beauty of everything.
A moment passed, and then Valoo spoke.
Naturally, the Hero of Winds didn't understand, but a moment later, Komali presented him with the ornament he'd been carrying when they first met. It glowed softly in the moonlight, but what was most noticeable were the engravings on the side closest to Link.
The green-clad (even if it was a dress) hero blinked, and turned his head to the side, as if to ask, 'Are you sure?'
Komali smiled. "Giving you the thing I love the most will give me the courage to do great things."
And just like that, Link took it.
In that moment, he understood. This was what he needed to fulfill his quest.
It was the first pearl—the one he'd been looking for for almost three days. The Hero of Winds smiled, and looked towards the faces of the people of the island. He held Din's Pearl close to him.
The dragon roared something, and the Chieftain nodded to whatever Valoo was saying.
Then all eyes turned to Link, and suddenly all heads were bowed to him in a sign of respect. It was at that moment that the King of Red Lions spoke to him through the stone that Tetra gave him.
'Link,' the King said, urgency in his voice, 'The Mighty Valoo is telling you that it is time to move forward. Gather your belongings. We are headed for the next pearl.'
The crowd of people around him must have heard, for Medli came forward, carrying his faded green tunic, now clean. With it was his sword, along with his grappling hook and quite a few other items that he vaguely recalled getting.
He smiled at her, and at that moment, she hugged him as fiercely as she could.
"Link!" she whispered, and although he wondered how she could exclaim in a whisper, he wasn't about to ask. "Promise me you'll come back! Do you promise?" The green-clad hero said nothing, but put his arms around her. She sniffled and broke away from him, staring directly into his eyes. Link found himself unable to do anything but nod that, yes, he would come back.
He promised.
0:0:0
Not five minutes later, he was dressed and back in the King of Red Lions, setting sail for Forest Haven.
The wind was blowing due south, and although it kept pushing Link's hair into his face, he didn't really mind. He was moving again, and that was what mattered. Just another step closer to saving his sister. And, you know, everyone else.
Having slept for more than long enough, Link felt good to go for at least twenty four hours. He quite frankly had a feeling that whatever they put in that potion would give him staying power. Either that, or it was caffeine all the way through.
The last rays of the sunset
The Hero of Winds turned his gaze towards the stars and tried to pinpoint a few different constellations. He had just found a giant horse and was trying to remember the legend associated with it when he heard his boat speak.
"You did well, young hero," the King of Red Lions said with what could only be a smile, though his voice was faded slightly because he was still facing forward. "There are few that have ever lived from an encounter with a Gohma. In fact, the only ones that ever had worn the same green tunic that you do now." He paused. "Well, not the same one. The cloth for the other tunics was always a bit thinner than that, but you'll be glad of the extra warmth if we ever bump into Ice Ring Isle. Not that it would help that much anyway, but…" The boat trailed off, then seemed to remember what he'd been saying. "What I mean to say is that I am proud of you, Hero. You are just what this land needs to be restored. So many villains in the world, now. They need someone to challenge them. And most of all, they need that person to be you. Yes, you may be young, but it gives them all the more hope for the future. 'If a child can do this much,' they say, 'Then surely we can do something, too!'"
Link smiled, then embraced what could only be considered the boat's 'neck'. He didn't like talking, not really, but there were other ways to express affection.
The moment passed. With all that had been said (and not 'said' but expressed nonetheless), it was quiet then.
The Hero of Winds stared back at the stars, and for once, felt good about being a hero.
000
Night had fallen in the Realm of Heroes, too, and the Ocarina of Time player was lounging against the wall to the back of the room. He was reading his own story (he never claimed to be humble, after all), reminiscing about his adventures.
Whenever he'd get to the parts where he'd learn a new song, Link would pick up his Ocarina and play whatever it was, just for old times' sake.
He's just played Epona's song when he felt a sudden disturbance across the screen. The Hero of Time started at the portal in front of him and looked all around the boat on the water.
Sure enough, there were shark fins sticking out of the water.
000
'Hey! Predator alert,' the voice said, loud and clear. And in contrast with the quiet all around, it startled Link so badly that he almost fell out of the boat. 'Get out some cannons or… something!'
"I don't have cannons," the boy whispered to the sky.
"What was that, Link?" the King of Red Lions asked, interrupting the conversation. He'd never heard the boy speak before, so it was a bit of a surprise to hear anything from him. However, when the boat curled his neck around to look at his passenger, the boy just shrugged.
'Um. Sorry. I forgot to ask you a simple yes or no question. So, I gather that you don't have a cannon yet?'
Link shook his head, no.
'Hm. That's a downer. What about a boomerang?'
Again, no.
'Wow. Sorry to say this, kid, but you're screwed. I suggest seeing if you can make the wind blow faster. …Either that, or have your shield ready. Maybe see if you can jump over them?' And then the voice quieted once more.
Link sighed, but he got out the magic baton and his shield anyways. And as luck would have it, it didn't make the wind go any faster to make it go in the same direction multiple times.
"Are you done playing with that, yet?" the King of Red Lions asked, irritation lacing his voice. "It's not a toy, you know. It's magical. I doubt it will run out of magic, but we wouldn't want to find out."
He quieted for a moment, then seemed aware of the sharks around them.
"Link! Sharks all around us!" the boat said in a loud voice. It was all Link could do not to laugh. 'Really?' he wanted to say. 'You're just now noticing that?' But because he halfway respected the boat, he said nothing, just as always.
"I don't think we have any weapons at our disposal. They won't get close enough for you to use your sword, so keep your shield ready at all times." Link nodded, shield having been ready for the last minute and a half.
"Wait! I have an idea!" the boat suddenly shouted. "Press A to jump over the sharks!"
The Wind Waker just stared at the magical talking boat.
"…I apologize. I honestly don't know where that came from." He coughed, seemingly bashful. "What I meant to say is get a good grip with your toes and keep one hand on the rudder-controller, and jerk it up when you want to jump."
Link blinked, then nodded, getting a solid grip on the rudder-controller. When one shark got too close, he jerked it up, and the boat soared a few feet into the air. The green-clad hero honestly wasn't sure how the physics of that worked, but he wasn't (as usual) about to say anything.
They tried this again and again on their way to Forest Haven, and by the time they were nearly there, Link could do it without even planting his feet on the ground.
(Which he quickly learned was not such a good idea—his clothes took almost two hours to dry, and he was lucky that a shark didn't bite him while he was in the water.)
When they docked beside the lowest platform on the Forest Island, it was early morning, and the sun's rays were streaming through the clouds. Link stretched for a moment before hopping out of the boat and onto the low platform.
"Remember, young hero. You are to retrieve the pearl at all costs. No exceptions. No matter what you have to do could compare with what's going to happen if you fail."
No pressure there.
The Hero of Winds nodded before jogging off, past the mailbox, and onto the next platform.
His first welcome to this island? A giant Venus Fly Trap that, for reasons unknown, seemed to want to eat him. Link shrieked and jumped back.
Right back onto the platform with his mailbox.
A moment passed, and although he'd landed on his butt, it was only his pride that'd been wounded. Ignoring his boat's laughter (how, he wondered, that a boat could laugh was beyond him), he hopped back onto the Venus Fly Trap platform, this time with his sword out.
Thankfully, though, this creature wasn't too well built and it didn't take more than two seconds to figure out how to fight it.
The creature's neck was far too thin to support a head that large, so separating the two halves of its body wasn't an issue. (Link preferred that term to, well, 'chopping its head off').
With a smile, he walked forward. And then his eyes widened when he saw an entire row of those creatures. He slipped a sidelong glance to his boat (who looked far too innocent to be inconspicuous) before moving forward.
It didn't take more than a minute or two, but once all of the creatures were destroyed, he found a big, green and purple seed laying where one of the Venus Fly Traps had been. He waved it in the air, and thankfully his boat was still within range.
"That's a Boko-Baba seed. They're absolutely worthless unless you put them with the right ingredients and heat them up. After that, they're magical. You don't have a container for magic right now, though…" The King of Red Lions seemed to consider something. "But it is high time for you to go inside."
Link frowned, but hurried forward anyways.
A few misadventures (mainly consisting of misjudging his landing spot while using the grappling hook, and for some inexplicable reason managing to tick off a weird looking squid thing) later, he arrived at a hollow cavern and he guessed that he was supposed to go inside.
The spring of water that trailed from the inside-out was clean and fresh, though, and he couldn't help but stop for a short drink. It was in this break that he heard a low moan.
Immediately, the Hero of Wind's head jerked up, and he found himself running towards a tree that seemed to have a giant face carved into it. On the face, however, were many green and red jelly creatures (he'd dubbed them 'Chus' just because it was cute, but he wasn't about to tell anyone that).
He wondered what he could do for a moment, but while running towards the tree, he slipped and crashed into the tree. Thankfully, he had time to turn an otherwise painful skid into a poorly executed somersault.
Immediately, the jelly creatures fell off of the tree.
It didn't take long for the Chus to realize that they didn't stand a chance against the boy with the sword. Still, they didn't want to go out without a fight. They each got a few slaps in, but they were about as effective as being hit by a wet noodle, so our hero didn't get so much as a bruise from the fight (if you could call it that).
When the last of the creatures fell, the green-clad warrior darted around, collecting the various jellies that he found there. The green jelly was new, so he didn't know what, exactly, it would be good for, but he put it in his bait bag nonetheless.
When he was done, he started to walk forwards.
And then the tree began to talk.
Granted, he was speaking in a language that Link didn't understand, but that didn't exactly stop him from being frightened. But the shock more or less paralyzed the young hero, so he didn't attack the tree. Instead, he just stared up at the face (now realizing that it was a great deal more than a carving) with an expression of puzzlement.
The tree blinked at him a few times, then laughed.
"I must apologize. I was in error. I saw your clothing and suddenly I felt a longing for an age gone by…
Link wondered for a moment if his outfit was really the most impressionable thing about him. Honestly! Even back at his own home people only commented about his outfit and how warm it must have been, not to mention what Tetra had said.
The lily pad that Link had been standing up suddenly rose. Link decided it was time to pay attention.
"That longing caused the ancient tongue to pass my lips." The Tree looked inexplicably sad for a moment, but then spoke again. "I am the guardian spirit of this Forest Haven—the Deku Tree. I owe you my thanks for your aid in ridding me of those foul creatures… Tell me… Was it not the King of Red Lions—the boat who speaks—who led you to this place?"
Link nodded. This was getting a little weird, and honestly, his boat could've told him that he was about to meet a giant talking tree… but he wasn't about to (as usual…) say anything.
"So it is true. Then you have come here because you have need of the Pearl of the Goddess?" Link nodded again, and the Deku Tree stared at him in depth. "I see… I knew there was a reason the monsters had begun to congregate in the regions around my wood. Now I understand it."
A silence fell over him for a moment, and then his face was graver than ever. "He has returned. Ganon has returned… in that case, we must make haste!" And then, his voice was a roar, carrying out to the edges of the forest. "Koroks! Little children of the woods! This traveler is not your enemy. Let your hearts be at ease, and show yourselves!"
The moment his words stopped, there were suddenly many little creatures floating down to rest on what could only be considered the Deku Tree's brow. Link stared in surprise. He hadn't exactly thought that the tree had been speaking to himself, nor had he thought that it was schizophrenic… but still. He hadn't exactly expected the creatures to be there.
Upon closer examination, however, the Wind Waker determined that the little creatures were kind of cute, if a bit wooden-looking. They all wore masks made from leaves, and in the leaves were scratched different faces. Granted, some of them creeped him out a little, but still. They were, in all, kind of cute.
Then they jumped off of the Deku Tree. Well. 'Jumped off' isn't quite right. It has a gravity-is-working connotation. 'Jumped twenty feet into the air without breaking a sweat' is more apt. But right as Link was about to say, 'No! Wait! Suicide is not the answer!', the creatures brought out some strange type of leaf, which they used as miniature helicopter blades. Needless to say, their decline lasted much longer than one would think.
"What do you call yourself?" the Deku Tree asked, and though our protagonist never so much as said his name, the tree seemed to guess it correctly. "Link? Well, then, Link… These are the Koroks—the spirits of the forest."
The Koroks landed, circling the young hero. He was, as always, a bit intimidated to find that they were surrounding him, but he figured that he'd be able to take them if they tried anything funny. He put his hand on his sword hilt just to be safe, though.
"Once upon a time, long ago, the Koroks took on human forms, but when they came to live on the sea, they took these shapes." The Deku Tree was suddenly sad. "Now they fear people… but to me, they will ever be my cherished little children."
Link couldn't help but share the Deku Tree's sympathy. He hadn't read all of the legends… but he was fairly certain that these were one in the same as the Kokiri, Children of the Forest, that the Legendary Hero grew up with. He was about to speak, to ask what exactly happened, but the Tree interrupted him.
"As if happens, you have come just in time for a ceremony that the Koroks hold but once every year. It is about to begin."
000
The Hero of Time stared at the screen in front of him. He couldn't believe it. No, he wouldn't believe it. These were his friends! The people who raised him! How did it even happen, he couldn't help but wonder.
His eyes closed tightly in an effort to hold back tears. He hadn't seen one of the Koroks in particular, and was immediately worried for his best friend.
Saria… What had happened to her? Was she still alive? And did she call herself Saria? Did she still play the Ocarina? Link was halfway to panic, and with his mind reeling, it didn't seem like it'd take long to get that second half. But he took a deep breath because if he failed…
He stopped himself from crying. It would do him no good, anyways. He couldn't change the past, but… by saving this child, he could make the future better. And maybe… maybe everything would be okay again.
Link forced himself to look back at the screen.
The Koroks were dancing around the Great Deku Tree, but when another slowly descended from the sky, the Hero of Time knew something was amiss.
000
"W-We are not, oh Great Deku Tree. It is Makar! Makar!" one of the Koroks shouted, and the one falling from the sky dropped right into the circle.
"What is the matter, Linder?" the Tree asked. "You and Makar are always late…"
Linder seemed a bit shaken, and its voice proved it. "N-No! It is not that, Oh Great Deku Tree! Makar has fallen into the Forbidden Woods!"
Silence descended upon both the Koroks and the Tree (I'd mention Link, too, but silence can't descend upon him when he's never loud to begin with…). It made the Deku Tree's booming voice seem all the louder.
"What? The Forbidden Woods?" he bellowed, and the entire cavern shook.
Linder's tiny, brittle voice was barely audible in the resounding echoes of the Tree's outburst. "I told him to be careful! But still Makar flew above the Forbidden Woods. And as he drew close to it…" it trailed off.
"Foolish little Makar…" the Tree said, almost a whisper. Then, he spoke directly to the young hero. "Link, you have heard all this?" The boy nodded. "The Forbidden Woods are right beside the hallowed island of our Forest Haven. Those woods… The whole region is a vile place that is home to evil beasts."
Link guessed what was coming next.
"And now it seems they have taken a child of the forest named Makar. …Your presence here is no mistake, I deem."
A new assignment was coming… coming…
The King of Red Lions likely expects great deeds of you—it is why he brought you here. I am sorry to ask this of you,"
Link could almost picture the woods already, and a feeling of dread was creeping over his small frame…
"But can you go rescue young Makar for me?"
And, of course, even though he was practically shaking with fright, the young Outsetter nodded his head, that, yes, of course he'd go on some death-defying rescue mission just to save some little kid dumb enough to get himself in danger in the first place.
The Deku Tree smiled at the young hero. He was about to congratulate him, but suddenly Linder spoke up.
"But, Great Deku Tree! …People cannot fly through the air…"
The Tree paused for a moment, seeming to think. "Ah, yes… Thank you, child. You are right. It is not possible to enter those woods from the sea, is it…" He stared at the boy in front of him, still standing shell-shocked on the floating lily-pad.
"Link, I would guess from your size that you are heavier than my Korok children… yet I think that we may still be able to solve this dilemma. You must use the item I shall bestow upon you and fly through the sky!"
The Tree's face contorted in pain, and suddenly, with a great exhale, a glowing leaf appeared.
…On one of the highest branches of the tree.
…And the tree was pretty high up…
…And there didn't seem a way up to it, either…
"Hmph!" the Deku Tree grunted. "Forgive me, Link, but could you climb up to my crown and get the leaf from up there?"
…
Sometimes, the Hero just never gets a break.
XXX
Heh. I did NOT like those Venus Fly Trap things. Or, Boko Babas. Or whatever those blasted things are. Just remember—this is largely based off of my adventures in the Wind Waker, and quite frankly, my hand-eye-coordination needs work. I play videogames mainly for the story-lines, so… yeah. That's why I enjoy writing about games more than playing them.
Enjoy the chapter! And please, PLEASE review!