Note: If you started reading in the original format, look to the bottom of the chapter for a guide on how to find where you left off.
Chapter 8: The Party
On the morning of the day after the final battle against the undead, Link sat on one of the cliffs that surrounded Hyrule, watching the sun rise on the horizon. Behind him stood Stalflare, who was still struggling to understand what had occurred on the previous day. The pitch black feathers of the greide zwooda's wings bristled in the mild wind that had been blowing all morning as he listened impatiently to Link's explanations of the risky things he'd done on the evening before.
"That's the only kind of wish that could have fixed everything." Link said, as he finished his explanation of the previous day's events, "After that, I went to the Sacred Realm, and placed the Triforces there. I was pretty surprised that Ganondorf let me have his Triforce at all, though."
"I still can't believe that both you and the hylian crown were willing to trust him that far." Stalflare admitted aloud. Like everyone else, he was concerned about Ganondorf still being on the loose somewhere, even if he didn't have his Triforce of Power.
"Well," Link admitted with a frown, "nobody really expects him to change, but everyone deserves the chance to."
However, at that point, Stalflare began to realize that there was one more thing he was still curious about, and he knew that he had to bring it up.
"Link..." Stalflare said, his irritated expression having finally disappeared, "Yesterday, when you came back from your errand, apparently, of returning the Triforce to the Sacred Realm, you sat and cried for hours. Why?"
Link, however, just sighed when he was asked that question. He hated to have to give Stalflare an explanation for that, especially since it proved that he was only a mortal after all.
"Over the last couple of weeks," Link began, his gaze seeming to tremble with emotion as he explained himself, "I saw almost everyone I loved die. I couldn't give vent to that sorrow while I was struggling to free Hyrule, but when the mission was over, I knew there was no point in holding it in anymore."
"I see." Stalflare said slowly, though he still looked confused by what he'd just been told, "That reminds me of something else, however. Apparently, all the people killed; both in the invasion, and in our retaking of Hyrule have been resurrected and accounted for, including the Kokiri, and the Deku Tree; who was very apologetic."
"In other words, the people of Hyrule will live." Link replied sadly, still looking at the ground, "They'll have their happy ending, although they must be eager to embrace their loved ones right now."
"Yes." Stalflare admitted, "That's exactly my point."
"So you're asking me" Link continued after just another moment, "why I haven't rushed to Zelda's side, to comfort her?"
Link had expected an almost immediate reply to that question from Stalflare, but instead, all he heard was several moments of silence, and at first, he wasn't sure why. Finally, however, Link turned to face his friend, but he drew back again almost at once. Stalflare's eyes seemed to almost be on fire, with a horrible anger and irritation, in spite of all they'd been through together.
"We fought the undead together." Stalflare finally announced in measured breaths, as though trying to calm himself down, "We fought enemies together. I saved your life twice, and you saved mine more than once. We faced death together!"
For a moment, Link saw nothing but disappointment in Stalflare's face, but he still wasn't sure why his friend was so upset. Finally, Link just asked, "What's your point?"
"My point is," Stalflare said, obviously even angrier than before, "that despite what you may think, Hero of Time, I'm not an utter imbecile. Don't lie to me anymore."
"I didn't lie to you!" Link yelled defensively, getting up from his seated position in indignation and alarm, "I've never lied to you!"
"Then why would you think that I wanted ask you why you haven't rushed into Zelda's arms?" Stalflare shouted back, "I wanted to ask you why you hadn't rushed into the arms of Saria!"
For a moment, Link was taken aback as he analyzed Stalflare's statement. Looking back on it, it had been a little mean; pretending to be someone he wasn't, and he could tell that as mean as it had been to Stalflare, it could only have been many times worse for Saria. Stalflare didn't stop frowning, but Link grinned weakly, trying to cheer himself up a little, as he sat down again.
"It was that obvious..." Link muttered, just loud enough for Stalflare to hear it, and in moments, his friend nodded in response.
"I... can't." Link replied sadly, with tears in his eyes by that point, "There are too many complications."
"Complications big enough to deprive you of your happy ending?" Stalflare asked him, though at the very least, his anger was gone.
"Heroes don't get happy endings, Stalflare." Link replied, still with plenty of sorrow in his voice, "At least, not yet."
For what felt like several minutes, neither one of them said another word, but at last, Stalflare spoke up again, looking frustrated, though he still obviously had something to say.
"Perhaps not, but kingdoms do, and they have parties to celebrate those happy endings. Naturally, you'd be the guest of honor, beside Princess Zelda herself, if you wish to come. I've also been invited, and I thought you might like to know."
Link still felt sad about being unable to express his true feelings, but he also felt as though a party might be just the thing to cheer him up.
"Alright." The Hero of Time finally said, after spending several more seconds in thought, "I'll be there."
"It's in three days, at Hyrule Castle." Stalflare explained, and then, without so much as a "good bye," he flew off in the direction of Gerudo Valley, and disappeared beyond the desert cliffs.
When Stalflare had called the victory celebration a "party," it had been something of an understatement. Virtually everyone in the kingdom was there who wanted to be, either performing or watching. It was held in the center of Hyrule Castle Town, and the fountain was the centerpiece of the circus-like celebration. Link and Zelda had seats on top of the Mask Shop, along with her father; the King, so they had one of the best possible views of all the festivities.
The first performance was made by Ruto, who proved her prowess in the ways of zora sorcery, by creating a dog made out of water from the fountain. It behaved itself, and people were invited to pet it. Zelda insisted on getting an opportunity to do so, and got her hand absolutely soaked, but she just thought that it was cute.
The second performance was by two goron acrobats, who made a show of rolling sharply around the water fountain, then leaping over it within inches of one another at regular intervals.
Link never stopped smiling through those first two acts. It was great fun to watch the people doing their best outside of battle, and it was the first time in over a week that he'd been able to genuinely feel happy about something.
A pair of shiekah in full uniform performed a series of spells after those first few acts were done; spells that many hylians had no idea had even existed. One of them turned a cobblestone into a rainbow-colored palm tree, made of marble for a while, then turned it back, and that was probably one of the least impressive feats they performed. Mostly, their spells of choice centered around the transformation of objects (and sometimes of volunteers) in one way or another, and then back again.
Many of those transformations were so strange, and (to some,) so hideous and/or tasteless, that several of the women, Zelda included, turned away at the sight of them, and many men flinched, but it wasn't any worse than the walking dead, and it was nice to know that the shiekah were on their side.
When the Shiekah had finished their act, Mido and two other kokiri performed an elaborate juggling routine, where two of them would stand on the ground, and toss three balls back and forth to one another with their left hands. With their right hands, they'd grab Mido by the knee, and toss him over to the other, who would toss him back. Every time he was midway between the two, Mido had to grab two balls from mid-air, and throw them up just high enough, that he could do the same the next time he was thrown. They were able to manage variations of that routine for close to five minutes, after which they all landed back on the ground, bowed politely, and left. The entire time, the applause never stopped.
Midway through the juggling routine, however, Stalflare had alighted on top of the Mask Shop, and tapped Link on one shoulder. Link was somewhat surprised that Stalflare had decided to show up, since the gerudo had opted not to participate in that celebration, but rather, to have their own, in their own way.
Stalflare was different from the other gerudo, of course, but Link could tell that his deepest loyalties were still to them. What surprised Link most was that Stalflare was wearing a sort of vest, which buttoned up in the back, around his wings; obviously made for that specific occasion, though not for that specific party.
"The gerudo have decided not to perform for the hylian masses, and so have I," Stalflare told Link; his first words to his friend all day, as he pulled him aside, and away from the performances of the other hyrulian peoples, "but I'm going to do something for you today, to make the day even better."
As Stalflare said that, he produced a small, bronze-colored goblet from the shadows underneath his wings. It was filled with an opaque, yellow liquid, which let off a great deal more steam than seemed natural, although Link had never seen anything quite like it before.
"Many gerudo still distrust the hylians, and many still distrust you," Stalflare explained, still holding the goblet in one hand as he spoke, "but they all recognize that you've saved them from destruction, and they're all, for the moment, grateful. Still, you must know by now that gerudo are governed largely by image and honor, so they couldn't give this to you in a ceremony, but they wanted you to have it nonetheless, as long as the public doesn't realize where you got it from."
"What is it?" Link asked curiously, as he took the goblet from Stalflare, and sniffed the steam that was rising from the strange concoction.
"It's known as gar-tena-eidi in our language." Stalflare replied, still looking very serious as he explained the true nature of the potion, "It's a contraction, meaning 'test of a true warrior.' Don't be fooled, though. It won't put you through any kind of terrifying combat training. In fact, virtually everyone describes it as pleasure beyond words, and as such, it's reserved only for the most honorable of our warriors, and only for special occasions. It floods the senses with the scent of desert flowers, and drives away thirst for the rest of the day, and for all that time, your life will be all delight, like nothing you've ever experienced."
"So how does it test whether you're a true warrior?"
"That's a myth. Most of us believe that it doesn't."
However, Link wasn't ready to give up yet, and Stalflare's eagerness to avoid that question was really only making him more and more curious; especially if Link was going to drink that potion himself.
"I'd be interested in knowing that myth." Link said, a little worried.
Stalflare sighed a moment later. It was clear that he'd expected Link to take his word for it, but after a few moments, he decided to describe the myth anyway.
"In ancient times, when Greide Zwooda were more common; when each generation bore close to seven, it was said that this drink granted a special experience to the strongest and bravest of those warriors. The class of warrior needed for this experience was considered to be supernatural; a hero beyond price who championed honor. When that hero drank of the gar-tena-eidi, it was believed that if he should fall asleep within twenty-four hours, his dreams would be of future times."
"The power of precognition." Link realized in amazement, looking into the steaming cup again, but Stalflare was already shaking his head.
"No." Stalflare replied, "Not precognition, exactly, just a random vision of a future time. The warrior couldn't choose which part of the future they wanted to see."
"But it's just a myth," the greide zwooda continued firmly after only a moment, "No one like that exists, though I'd imagine that you're closer to that supernatural standard than most."
As he said that, Stalflare put the goblet into Link's hands, and without another word, he took flight, soaring back to his desert home.
For a moment, Link considered the gift and the myth silently; the things that Stalflare had told him were certain, and the things that he'd said were false. Then, with solemn reverence, Link sipped the drink briefly, half expecting it to be hot and unpleasant.
However, just like Stalflare had said, the slightest sip of the draught made Link feel like he'd inhaled a flower shop, only without the pollen, and a feeling of very intense happiness coursing through his entire body. He quickly finished the drink, and hid the empty goblet in his bag, starting to see the celebration around him in an entirely new way, even as he did so.
Zelda seemed to have noticed that Link was much happier than ever, just as the juggling act ended, and at once, she read his thoughts, to determine the source of the strange, unnatural happiness, but she didn't say anything about it. She was pleased that Link was enjoying himself so much, and she knew that he deserved to have some fun after all he'd just been through.
When everyone had had a chance to put on an impressive performance of their own, there was dancing. The gorons were the wildest dancers, except, of course, for Link, who danced from rooftop to rooftop, so swiftly, and with such great leaps, that he could almost have been mistaken for a stalfo, if not for the presence of his flesh.
When that was done, everyone sat down, and a group of five violinists began to play a variety of tunes, while the hylian mage guild formed beautiful pictures in the sky, of what they thought of as they heard the music. When that was over, of course, there were still many people who'd go home, and write stories and songs based on that adventure, but none of those were read or featured at that celebration.
Instead, over fifty hylians took up instruments, while close to twenty-five others began to sing. The king himself descended from the roof of the Mask Shop, to direct the final treat of the evening; one of Hyrule's most popular musical numbers. Dozens were practicing with wands, trying to get the wand to perform a "latee" spell, which is to say, a spell of song. A few succeeded, and were paid handsomely for it later, because that was a song that it was very rare to hear, just because of the number of people required to play it fully.
After everyone had had a few moments to get ready, the king tapped his baton; the Wind Waker, on the pedestal in front of him, and the song began.
Every second of every minute of every single day,
A thousand souls all unite to save the world today!
And we make it, we make it!
We bring to nature something grand!
We save it, we save it!
So for a purpose we can stand!
We have it, we have it!
Bringing things to life
that drive away all strife!
When the world is full of light,
it's because we few chose right!
When there's trouble in the air, and evil has its way,
that's when we must rise up, to save the world today!
Then, through courage and resolve, mercy, justice, grace,
kindness and gentleness all, we'll make the world a better place!
And so together, we all will sing, and work to change our fates!
So that our land should be as glad, as all of heaven's gates!
Between different verses, they would sing the chorus, and it was done in such a beautiful way that it brought tears to the eyes of many who watched. That was the sort of song that hylians remembered for their entire lives, and it symbolized those lives. They worked hard, they pushed through difficult times, but they got something back in return. Their lives, and indeed, their very species, stood for something important. Goodness, kindness, purity, and hope. Hyrule was more than just a place to live; it was a hope for the future. Link yawned as the beautiful song ended. He hadn't slept soundly since before the "undead incident," and he was getting extremely tired. Leaning back in his seat, Link found himself starting to doze off...
Link looked around as he walked down the corridor. It was a corridor made from dark stones, which seemed to have sharp edges protruding outward, and candle-holders resembling demons every few feet along the walls. At the end of the corridor was a dim light, like the light that comes through dark clouds in the daytime, and for a moment, he listened to the footfalls of his team behind him. He could hear the footsteps of a greide zwooda, two hylian women, one female zora, and a large, male goron as they followed him down the corridor. They were his friends, and since they were all in the same predicament, he knew that he could count on them in a pinch.
As Link stepped out of the corridor, however, he recoiled in horror from the sight in front of him. Walls of electricity surrounded them, beyond which he could see what looked like hylians watching, but their eyes were cruel; contorted. Above them the dark clouds allowed only a little light to be shed on the scene before them. In the center of that enormous, open hall were two large machines, which resembled vast, clawed hands, with lightening gems attached to their palms. Link could tell that they were a device that was used for transportation, but he had no idea where they led to.
However, the most hideous sight he saw there was the figure standing between the two machines, which was all the more terrible since, in some ways, she resembled Princess Zelda. She was shaped the same as he'd always seen her, but dressed in an ugly, black, short-sleeved shirt, and shorts that were much more revealing than tastefulness allowed for. Her eyes gleamed, not with kindness, sincerity, gentleness, and reason, but with malice, hatred, envy, and madness.
"Hero of Time." Zelda said in a half-amused tone of voice, "You came here to play our little game, didn't you; the game you've been preparing for all your life? Don't you just love what you're about to do?"
Link grimaced at her choice of words, because there was no love in that hall. Except for himself and his friends, in fact, there was no good at all; only terrible evil, and although he could feel a force of greater evil nearby, the most wicked creature in his range of vision was Princess Zelda.
"Let combat begin!" the evil Zelda standing in front of them all said, motioning for a tall man to step forth from the shadows on the other side of the area, "Remember, you fight for the fate of your entire worlds!"
Link screamed as he awoke from his terrible nightmare, causing Princess Zelda, who'd been standing up to return to the castle, to collapse back into her seat in surprise.
"Link!" Zelda exclaimed in worry, "Link, are you alright?"
Link, however, clutched his chest, gasping for breath, and looked the princess directly in the eyes, to be sure she was really the same Zelda he knew, but as he looked into her eyes, he saw the same loving gentleness that he'd expected to see. However, as much of a relief as that gentleness was, it didn't, unfortunately, calm Link down very much.
"No, I'm not." Link gasped out, still trying to get his fluctuating emotions back under control, "Din help us, none of us are!"
"Link!" Zelda exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm, "Relax! It was only a dream. We've defeated the undead. The battle is over now."
"No!" Link yelled in a kind of exasperation that was close to panic, "It's not! Hyrule's troubles aren't over! They're only just beginning!"
The End.
Note: This chapter covers parts 116-122 in the original format.
