This is by far my favorite chapter, if only because I get to torment the poor Hero of Time. You'll also notice that I actually have built a timeline of the events this go-around, so enjoy my dedication to doing a good job for you.
I'll leave you to your business now...
Azure eyes opened to the brilliantly lit sky. The intense sun glared down on the small island on which a disgruntled young man woke.
Damn, the eyes' owner thought, still here. So it hadn't been a dream then. He was still in his personal hellhole.
Link sat up, thoroughly displeased, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes along with whatever had crawled into his eyes the night before. His legs still felt weak after so much time, and he tentatively stood up, wishing for the best. Yesterday, he had managed to get into a squat before he collapsed.
He fell down with an audible plop onto the sand. Curse Ganondorf, he thought, he'll pay for this one.
The injuries of his fight lingered still. Strained muscles all over, several fractures and breaks throughout with quite possibly just-healing broken ribs, the young man was in a horrible state. He knew all too well that he should be thanking fate and the Goddesses and even the fairy that he had risen so far, instead of silently cursing everything in sight, but he felt better after doing the latter.
For three bloody days he had been stuck here on this wretched island, only able to gnash his teeth while waiting for his body to fully heal under the shade of an odd-looking tree.
Only the most severe of his hurts, including a deep gash in his skull, had been remedied by the fairy's magic and the heat and humidity did nothing to help his temper ever at the ready.
Navi floated out from under his hat, twinkling with concern. "How do you feel, Link?" she hesitantly asked him. A twinge of guilt passed through the hero; he had been frustrated, angry, and took it out on who or whatever unfortunately annoyed him.
With a calming sigh, he replied with a small smile, "Better, Navi, thank you." He looked around at the island and the ocean that surrounded them. It was small, to say the least. Link could see the opposite shoreline clearly. His fairy companion had told him that, from high up, the island resembled a heart shape. There wasn't much grass, as the shoreline and sand took up almost the entirety of the dry land.
The main feature, though, was the massive pink boulder in the middle of the island. It was hollowed out and there was a small hole in the niche. Link had discerned a trace of powerful magic emanating from the shell and, in his weakened state, had opted to stay away from it.
No use trying to save Hyrule if I die somewhere else, he said. He was lucky, really. If it hadn't been for his exposure to magical energy, he might have blundered in and got himself killed by whatever was inside. Rather brutally, he imagined, with many open wounds, broken bones, and rivers of blood. Morbid thoughts, yes, but if it meant living for a while longer, to hell with morbidity and cowardice. He still had a job to do and he wanted to be around to do it.
Navi, however, was constantly trying to get him into the hole, badgering him endlessly.
Speaking of which, "Why don't you try getting into the shell, Link?"
He groaned, hoping to avoid a row. "I can barely walk, Navi!" So much for that plan.
What the little fairy said next took him completely by surprise.
"I'll lend you some strength if you'll just investigate, Link!" she cried shrilly.
The Kokiri- I mean Hylian- dumbly stared. "E- excu- excuse me?!" She never bothered to do this why?!
Her color changed rapidly, shifting from blue to yellow and then to- for the first time, he noted- purple. She was nervous, anxiously so, if she cast a purple light.
After taking a moment to reflect, he replied, "Okay?"
He gathered his things and clothes (at least the sun was good for something) and crawled to the only tree nearby. Pulling himself up, he watched as Navi whirled around him, glowing a brighter blue-white than she normally did. Link felt power course through his body, brushing aside his pain, strengthening him. Navi settled herself on top of his head, still glowing brightly.
With almost a spring in his step, Link stood up and walked towards the small niche in the side of the boulder. It felt nice to be able to walk around, though walking into a hidden cavern was not his idea of a pleasant stroll.
"Why do you want me to go in so badly?" he asked his small partner. "Servant of Ganondorf luring me into a trap?" he queried with an eyebrow rising into his shaggy locks and his mouth curling into a grin.
Navi, too tired to really reply, only said, "felt familiar you goof-ball..."
The young man shrugged, and stepped into the hole, swallowed up by the darkness.
He opened his eyes, expecting to see monsters of every sort fly at him and only saw an opulent cavern with a pinkish-blue light emanating from everywhere. Against the far wall was a large shell, opened to reveal a small pool.
Baffled, Link only registered that the cavern very much resembled a Great Fairy's fountain. No wonder it felt so familiar to Navi, he thought. He came up to the shell and peered into the shimmering water. It was so clear, like a mirror and window at the same time.
"Hello, Link, it's been a while," said an airy voice that echoed throughout the chamber.
Link's arm shot to his sword, ready to draw when Navi's energy gave out. A deep surge of pain blew away his strength and he collapsed onto the floor. Glaring, Link looked to the shell, waiting for his enemy to appear.
Floating above the shell was a strange being. It looked most like a four-armed woman with dark skin. Her (was it even a 'her'?) hair was a shocking white and blue eyes twinkled merrily. She was apparently wearing a pink-green-grayish dress that fell down...to her non-existent legs. The dress merely wound its way down in a spiral as though she didn't have legs.
He stared, any sense of courtesy and propriety gone. There really wasn't anything else he could do anyway in this state. Besides, he'd never met a creature quite like this.
"Ah... I see you do not recognize me, or my power," she said to him. "I'm almost hurt... if it weren't for the fact that you always had notoriously poor memory," she added with a tiny smile.
Perfect, now she was teasing him in his moment of weakness. He wasn't that bad at remembering things!
"Who are you?" he asked bluntly.
Her laugh was musical, and she replied, "I'm a Great Fairy, a power of the Great Sea." The fairy looked him over, and added lightly, "It appears that you need help, Hero of Time." She softly chuckled when he struggled to glare and sit at the same time only to fail miserably.
Understatement of the century, and quite possibly millennium, he thought of her words.
A burst of magic fell from the endless ceiling onto him, enveloping him in a pleasing warmth. Now she had power. His injuries simply faded away, healed in less time than it would take a papercut to stop bleeding. His bones mended and reset, while his bruises and cuts vanished. His strained and sore muscles relaxed.
He stood up, surprised. This was new.
"Do not worry Link," she said to him. "You are renewed. I think it better, though, that you begin your quest. It does not do to stay hidden away. It was a fate that was never meant for the Hero of Time."
Before Link could even begin to question her about his "quest", a second burst of magic surrounded him and whisked him away.
The Great Fairy gazed at the spot where the hero had been. "No, he hasn't changed at all."
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As always, a thanks to my beta, The Dmgirl, for putting up with my stupidity, and to those who read and review my story.